Elian Gonzalez: five years later, Castro's propaganda war continues.

Elian Gonzalez, the young Cuban boy who became the center of an international custody and propaganda war five years ago, was trotted out on April 22 by Fidel Castro to mark the fifth anniversary of his return to the Communist dictatorship.

In his first speech at a political rally, Elian, now 11 years old, first thanked Cuban President Fidel Castro, who attended the event and led the festivities commemorating a major victory over Cuban exiles in the United States.

"I also want to thank the support the American people gave to our cause, greatly contributing to my return," Elian said in a speech obviously prepared by Castro's propagandists. "I want to thank all those who made my dream of being a free child come true," he said.

Cuba's state-run press accused Elian's anti-Communist relatives in Miami of a "cruel kidnapping" and referred to Elian's seizure by U.S. federal agents as a rescue from "the hands of the terrorist Miami mafia."

Elian was five years old when Florida fishermen found him, on November 25, 1999, clinging to a life preserver after the boat carrying him and 13 other Cuban refugees capsized. His mother and 10 others drowned in their heroic and tragic bid to escape to freedom. Fidel Castro and his many sympathizers in the U.S. media immediately launched a campaign demanding that the boy be returned to Cuba. Then-Attorney General Janet Reno made it clear that she intended to use the police powers of the federal government to send Elian back to Castro. Thousands of Miami Cubans rallied around Elian and his Miami relatives to prevent his seizure. On April 22, 2000, federal agents stormed the boy's home in a surprise attack and took him at gunpoint.

For the past five years, Elian has served as Fidel Castro's prize poster boy, but this year's speech marked his first public statement. Much of the U.S. media coverage of the event treated the presentation as a legitimate news event, not a staged Communist propaganda production. Reuters news agency reported what many of the other news organizations did not: "Elian ended his speech with the slogan 'Homeland or death--to victory,' and the salute of Cuban school children, 'Pioneers for Communism, let's be like Che' (Guevara)."