ABSTRACT
Cuba was the welcome relief, the outlet for the accumulated frustrations, the counterpoint to a rather unrevolutionary period in American. The alienation of the 60s and the discovery of Cuba as a new source of political inspiration, or counter-model to American societies, did not precisely coincide. As in the Soviet case, the position of intellectuals in Cuba was by itself among the major attractions of the regime in the eyes of the visiting intellectuals—at any rate until the late 1960s and early 1970s when disillusionment set in among many sympathizers. Vietnam and Cuba were not the only Third World countries idealized by Western intellectuals, although they were the most important and attracted the largest numbers of visitors. J.P. Sartre's account of his meetings with Castro and other leaders offers an even more remarkable illustration of the susceptibility of Western intellectuals to the appeals of strong, routine-shattering, charismatic leaders.
