Part 6/9:
Operation Peter Pan (Operación Pedro Pan) aided in the departure of over 14,000 Cuban children, separated from their families in an environment of panic and misinformation. Many parents, fearing the government’s intentions, saw no option but to send their children away, often without understanding the implications of this decision. The psychological traumas inflicted during these forced separations linger to this day, with many exiled children growing up believing they were abandoned.
The operation has been described variously as a humanitarian effort and a manipulative campaign by the American government under the guise of anti-communism. Scholars argue that the overlapping motivations of humanitarian aid and political maneuvering created a scenario fraught with moral ambiguities.