Félix Rodríguez, an 84-year old Cuban American and former CIA operative, recently participated in a Q&A session in the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center about his Cold War missions. He was a guest of the Lifelong Learning Institute, a series of classes and social opportunities for retired adults.
During the event, “Meet the Spy Who Brought Down Che Guevara,” on Sept. 10, he said he did not regret serving the United States.
“I think that everything that I was involved in, it was worthwhile, and I did my best,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez shared how he captured Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine revolutionary leader and participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion, a United States landing operation into Cuba.
“The Cold War is a significant part of our history,” Rodríguez said.
During the lecture, Rodríguez explained how he first became involved in the CIA.
“They were recruiting people for the Bay of Pigs Invasion,” Rodríguez said. “I already had been accepted at the University of Miami for engineering, and then a friend of mine told me, ‘You know, there’s going to be an operation against Castro.’”
Rosemarie Rodríguez, Félix Rodríguez’s daughter, said attending the event where her father talked about his missions made her emotional because it brought back family memories.
“It was very moving for me because I’ve heard his stories throughout my life,” she said. “But to hear him say it again in front of, this audience, which is amazing, I think it’s wonderful.”
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