Alpha Males

"Alpha 66 has almost a nineteenth-century war-of-independence approach," observes Juan Carlos Espinosa, coordinator of the University of Miami's Cuban Studies program. "Alpha 66 will be a curious footnote written by historians of the Twentieth Century, comparable to other small groups in Latin America who used violent means for laudable ends."

Alpha members obviously disagree with Espinosa. They see themselves as a spark that will ignite a conflagration -- something Nazario refers to as the "imponderable moment" when Cubans rise up. Abel Galindo, age 28, joined the group three years ago after arriving in Miami by raft along with his pregnant wife Mayroly and seven others. He had worked in the tourist industry in Matanzas; now he's an air conditioner mechanic. "Cubans are waiting for something, a sign, a light," he says. "Things are ready to explode there. Young people have no future. Human beings have the right to have aspirations, especially young people. But in Cuba, a person gets up in the morning thinking only about what he's going to eat in the afternoon."

Alpha field commander Elvis Castellano says he is planning an action soon, but he won't reveal what. "Something's going to happen. You watch," he predicts, stone-faced. "Either Castro's going to die or we're going to kill him. I'm going to try to assassinate him. And if I don't, someone else will.