Research question: What motivated Cuban parents to send their children unaccompanied to the United States during Operation Pedro Pan and in to what extent were their actions justified?Section A. Scope of InvestigationThe investigation identifies the motivating factors that led Cuban parents to send their children unaccompanied to the United States between 1960 and 1962 in an event known today today under the name Operation Pedro Pan. Additionally, the investigation evaluates parents' actions and the risks associated with separating children from their families amid political instability to determine whether the parents' choice was justified. To do this, two primary source diaries, including one written by the founder of the operation, as well as multiple first-hand memories of Pedro Pan's children are used. Additionally, a number of historical articles and books published in the years following Operation Pedro Pan are used to learn about the controversy surrounding the event and to understand the situation in Cuba under the regime of Fidel Castro.Section B. Summary of EvidenceFidel Castro He entered Havana, Cuba, and took his place as Prime Minister in January 1959, just after the fall of the Batista regime. Within days, many members of the Cuban upper class began leaving the island, fearing loss of their socioeconomic status and perhaps their lives (Leonard 13). Castro's radical new policies appealed to most of the oppressed working classes seeking change, but the middle sector "became disillusioned with their new leader" and soon made up the majority of Cuban refugees in Miami, Florida (Leonard 3) . From December 1960 until the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, more than 14,000 of these refugees would...... middle of newspaper......rk Times, January 11, 1998. Web . April 4, 2014.Rodriguez-Soto, Ana. “Pedro Pan: Making History in Slow Motion.” Miamiarch.org. Archdiocese of Miami, December 15, 2011. Web. April 6, 2014. Shumate, Candiss. “Saving” children from left-wing agendas: the supporting role of the Catholic Church. Washington: The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, 2011. ProQuest. Internet. April 10, 2014.Torres, María De Los Angeles. The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the United States, and the Promise of a Better Future. Boston: Beacon, 2003. Print. Triay, Victor Andres. Fleeing Castro: Operation Pedro Pan and the Program for Cuban Children. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1998. Print. Walsh, Bryan O. “Cuban Refugee Children.” Journal of Inter-American Studies and World Affairs 12.3/4 (1971): 378-415. Jstor.org. Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami. Internet. April 13. 2014.