So true. Herbert Matthews was one of the big cheerleaders for the New York Times. I'm ashamed to say my wife's aunt (a revolutionary at the time) was the one who took Matthews to Castro in the mountains. She and other family members later had a crude awakening to who Castro was and "defected" to the US.
I had a personal encounter with one of the first American VBs in 1970. Was driving from LA to Seattle with a friend who brought a friend of a friend to share expenses. The VB, from Berkley of course, ranted on and on about the glories of Castro. By the time we hit N. Cal I was ready to stuff this wispy Ho Chi Minh bearded little f***g runt into a duffel bag and leave him deep in the woods. Did get an insight into that mindset though, so it was an eye opener.