1943 Cuban Stamp Set - Fight Against the Fifth Column
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Cuba published a series of five stamps in 1943 warning citizens against the looming threat of the "fifth column" within Cuba.
The term "fifth column" originated just seven years earlier, during the Spanish Civil War. General Fransisco Franco issued a statement that there were four Nationalist columns approaching the city of Madrid in preparation for an attack, with a fifth column already inside the city. The fifth column soon came to mean enemies of the state who work within to undermine the government in support of an external adversary.
The stamps themselves were entirely prescient, as the government would finally fall in 1959 after years of warfare against guerilla forces led by Fidel Castro, who would become Cuba's leader for the remainder of his life.
This collection contains all five original stamps:
One Cent - Unmask the Fifth Column - Bluish Green
Three Cents - Be Careful! The Fifth Column is Spying on You! - Red
Five Cents - Destroy It. The Fifth Column is Like a Serpent - Bright Blue
Ten Cents - Fulfil Your Patriotic Duty by Destroying the Fifth Column - Dull Brown
Thirteen Cents - Don't Be Afraid of the Fifth Column: Attack It! - Violet Red