2003
THE SECRET OF THE BAT (BACARDI)
DAS GEHEIMNIS DER FLEDERMAUS, Bacardi zwischen Rum und Revolution
45 min. tv documentary
USA/Cuba
author/director: Ekkehard Sieker, Marcel Kolvenbach
producer: Kiosque TV
WDR german public tv / arte tv CIA theme evening
Exposes Bacardi‘s involvement in CIA-backed anti-Castro activities.
Investigative Documentary on the dirty war between the Bacardi Family and the Castro Regime, uncovering how the Bacardis and the CIA were financing terrorist. “Behind the sunny image of the world's largest rum producer and its trademark bat logo lies a secret: with its enormous economic power and influence on US politics, the global corporation also relentlessly pursues its political interests. The history of the Bacardi connection dates back to 1960, when Bacardi was forced to leave Cuba. At that time, militant Cuban exiles fought alongside the CIA against the Cuban revolutionary government. US intelligence documents prove that the then head of Bacardi, Bepin Bosch, was willing to finance attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. In the years that followed, the Bacardi clan repeatedly supported attacks and actions aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro. The clan's attempt to regain decisive political and economic influence in Cuba is entirely in line with US policy, and Bacardi's influence extends all the way to the White House. Marcel Kolvenbach and Ekkehard Sieker, have succeeded in tracking down and interviewing some of the henchmen who carried out attacks against Cuba on behalf of organizations supported by the Bacardi clan. The patriarch of the rum dynasty, Manuel Cutillas, himself provides information about the political intentions of the Bacardi family. The Secret of the Bat is a film about a global company that converts its economic power into political influence.” (AKJ Berlin)