Polita Grau

Polita Grau (born Maria Leopoldina Grau-Alsina 19 November 1915–22 March 2000) was the First Lady of Cuba, a Cuban political prisoner, and the "godmother" of Operation Peter Pan, also known as Operación Pedro Pan, a program which facilitated the exodus of over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors (ages 6 to 18) to the United States between the years 1960 and 1962, following the Cuban Revolution. Grau worked with the Roman Catholic Church, particularly Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh, and the U.S. State Department to place Cuban children in camps and foster homes; many of these children were never reunited with their parents. Her siblings were Paulina Grau-Alsina, Francisco Grau-Alsina (a Senator of Cuba), and Ramon Grau-Alsina (a Representative of Cuba). Polita Grau's brother later died in 1998. Grau completed her high school education at St. Patrick's Academy located in Miami Beach. Polita Grau attended the Teresian school in Vedado, Cuba. During her adolescent years, Grau was majorly involved in politics which resulted in her spending many of her later years in exile. Dr. Ramon Grau San Martin (Polita's uncle) had given her the title of being "The First Lady of Cuba," at only seventeen years old in 1933.

Involvement of Operation Peter Pan Polita was engaged in attempts that were unsuccessful against the life of Fidel Castro which included Operation Peter Pan. In 1961 it was the year where Polita Grau first caught the attention of the Operation when a group of women possibly sent by Penny Powers had gone towards her brother's involvement in Operation Pedro Pan. Mongo (Polita's brother) had agreed to helping out as well as Polita who was actively handing out exit papers and airline tickets. With the use of her Rescate network, Ms. Grau was able to be successful in completing what many families wanted. Grau had her entire women's group join the efforts of the Operation which increased the number of people involved. Polita Grau and her brother Ramon Grau had distributed thousands of visa waivers right after the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Imprisonment In 1965, Grau and her brother Ramón were accused of being CIA spies (Polita: AMCOG-2; Ramón: AMCOG-1) because of their work of helping thousands of children to leave Cuba under Castro's regime She had admitted to having "encouraged the rumor that the communist government was the absolute owner of the muchachos [kids] and that parents would lose their rights over their children that "they would be sent to Russia."

While Grau was in prison, she wrote a significant amount of her involvement in Operation Peter Pan.

Life in Diaspora After Polita had been imprisoned for 14 years, she wanted to reunite with her family but was unable to forget about the prisoners that she left behind in Cuba. Polita was determined to fight for the political prisoners. The only way that Polita can be calm is to see the political prisoners free from prison in Cuba. However, she says that it is a miracle that she is out of prison and that she feels resurrected. Polita was excited to see her husband, José Agüero, and her children that she hasn't seen for 18 years. Polita Grau had six grandchildren who she has never met before in her life. Polita's son had arrived in Miami days after his mother's arrival to attempt to obtain liberty for his mother in Cuba.

Death and legacy After Grau's exile in 1978, until her time of death, Grau had not given up on her political activities against Castro's regime. She is remembered for her ‘beauty, her sweetness, her generosity of care, her integrity.’ Grau is well respected for her political involvement, particularly in Cuba and Miami. Ojito, Mirta. “Polita Grau va a Washington.” Miami, Florida: El Nuevo Herald, 1989. Polita Grau de Agüero Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida. “Remarks on Cuban Independence Day.” Remarks on Cuban Independence Day | The American Presidency Project, May 20, 1993. Rosenberg, Carol. “Polita Grau, 85, dies: was first lady of Cuba.” Miami Florida: The Miami Herald, March 23, 2000 Saxon, Wolfgang. Polita Grau, 84; Headed Effort On Behalf of Cuban Children. March 25, 2000. Shnookal, Deborah, and JSTOR. Operation Pedro Pan and the Exodus of Cuba's Children. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2020