>> here's say look back at castro's life and how he transformed cuba. >> reporter: depending on whom you talk to, fidel castro was a revered revolutionary legend or a despise ed tyrannical dictato. there is little middle ground. castro came to power in 1959 in a widely popular revolution of the throwing. cuba's then dictator fulgencio bautista. but it wasn't long before the bearded man ideology left him on a collision course. 90 miles offshore, the u.s. decided to act. >> i have directed the armed forces -- >> reporter: first launching the embargo, palled by the failed bay of pigs and several assassination attacks on castro,