The most notable and influential interviews were done by New York Times journalist Herbert L. Matthews. Matthews went to the Sierra Maestra upon invitation by Castro in February 1957, and wrote three articles for the Times appearing on the 24th, 25th and 26th of the same month, with the first two appearing on page one.William E. Ratliff, ed., The Selling of Fidel Castro: The Media and the Cuban Revolution (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books, 1987), 2. The articles spread the word that Castro's revolution was still very much alive, which was important since many people actually thought the commander had died already. Matthews deliberately chose words to create a positive impression of him to the American people, for example stating that Castro's program was "radical, democratic, and therefore anti-Communist."
