BY ANA ACLE
aacle@herald.com

Out of a trash bin, at the edge of an office and storage complex in northern Palm Beach County, pieces of intriguing Cuban exile history have emerged -- checks, letters, photographs, even a shoe, that once belonged to former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

The items, which also include newspaper clippings, a land deal and pet vaccinations, are in the hands of paparazzo Robert ``Bob'' Calvert, he of William Kennedy Smith fame, and the Batista family is claiming the papers were stolen out of a private, rented trash bin.

The documents' value is questionable, mostly the minutiae of daily living: canceled checks, faded photographs, sentimental letters. The stuff is garbage, say the relatives of the former dictator, who say they have the historically significant documents locked away to be donated at a later date.

Still, the dozens of boxes filled with items -- enough to fill a large trash bin -- provide a glimpse into Batista's luxurious life in exile.

Consider a Waldorf Astoria hotel receipt, $250 a night for two weeks in 1964; proof of vaccinations for two poodles traveling to Switzerland; a 1956 memo outlining a $20.16 million land deal with the East Havana Bay Land Co. Anonymous Society; a Jan. 5, 1972, Pan American Bank of Miami statement listing $28,000 in deposits and a Portugal address; and a list of cash-gift recipients on Christmas Eve 1968 that included customs agents, journalists, bodyguards and servants in Spain.

``I can visualize this like a movie,'' said Uva de Aragon, assistant director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University. ``Who would be the guy doing this for Batista, who would put the money in envelopes, Batista giving it to his children on Christmas Eve.''

Some Miami Cuban exiles believe Batista -- as many of his predecessors -- fled the island with a sizable loot, possibly millions of dollars, from the government. Batista's escape gave way to Fidel Castro's takeover in 1959. If Batista indeed took any money, he took the secret to his grave in 1973.

``Immediately, my image is what was the situation in Cuba when this deposed dictator was paying whatever money to take his poodles to Switzerland,'' de Aragon said. ``I find it interesting. It's a sense of history and all the things related to historical figures are interesting, especially if they involve money.''

The revelation of the documents is stirring a controversy among Batista family members, who claim Calvert invaded their privacy. Calvert said he merely sifted through garbage -- nothing illegal.

``The family is not throwing away my father's [important] papers,'' said Batista's oldest son, Fulgencio Rubén Batista, 66, of Coral Gables. ``Those will one day go to an institution and they are well guarded and well protected.

``Apparently, the family sent someone to clean the warehouse and inadvertently, they threw out documents and photos with old newspapers, stuff that's not important and valueless,'' Rubén Batista said. Still, he's not happy they fell into the hands of a stranger.

Shown several copies of the documents, the son said he recognized his father's signature on a check, and the bank statement bears his father's name. A few letters are addressed to his father and widow Martha Batista, who now lives in a 7,700-square-foot home in Palm Beach. Records show the Palm Beach County warehouse, bought in 1979, belongs to Martha Batista, and trustee Rafael Saladrigas.

Calvert, 51, of Indiantown, is a freelance videographer for television tabloids. He says he also works part time for Pretext Investigations doing surveillance photography and investigative work on celebrities in Palm Beach County.

Some would call Calvert a paparazzo. Patricia Bowman, who accused William Kennedy Smith of raping her at the Kennedy Mansion in Palm Beach, said Calvert stalked her after the 1993 trial and she obtained a court order to keep him away.

Calvert's picture-snapping has placed him at odds with the law before. He has been arrested in Florida for trespassing (like at the Kennedy Mansion), unlawful eavesdropping, possession of stolen property, impersonating a police officer and burglary. Most charges were dropped.

Calvert recognized photos of Batista and salvaged them, believing they would be valuable. The private investigations office where he works is next to the Batistas' storage unit. He saw the trash being thrown away in May, dove in the Dumpster and recovered stuff that included an X-ray of Batista's foot, a shoe and some rugs.

``I knew the Batistas had a unit next door, but I hardly ever saw them,'' Calvert said. ``Then on the week of May 12, they brought a gondola and started throwing things out.''

Calvert says he was smoking a cigarette when an office-complex employee pulled out a photo of Batista and asked: ``Hey, you know this guy?''

``Yeah, that's Batista,'' Calvert replied.

``Who is that guy?'' the worker asked.

``You never heard of Fulgencio Batista?'' Calvert said.

Col. Batista took power in Cuba in 1935 when he lead a revolt against then President Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. In 1940, he was elected president for four years. In 1952, he staged a coup d'etat against President Carlos Prío and ruled the island with a heavy hand for the next seven years.

With support dwindling, he fled Cuba on New Year's Eve 1959 and an emerging leader, Castro, seized control.

Batista's memorabilia provide a look back at those times.

Among the documents Calvert recovered was a two-inch thick notebook filled with political cartoons of Castro, dating as far back as 1962, and copies of Miami's Réplica Spanish newspaper, with the motto ``The paper of the Cuban truth.'' A Sept. 24, 1964, headline reads: Franco supports Castro.

One letter mentioned the names of Batista allies who Castro allegedly ordered executed.

Another was an endearing 1961 love letter from Batista to his wife, Martha -- showing the softer side of the man whose tenure was marked by the bloody repression of opponents. In it, he writes to Martha, ``Don't forget that I live only for you and [the children],'' he wrote, mentioning her ``adorable hands'' and ``once contagious happiness.''

Calvert said he may sell some of the things he found, donate others and keep some of the newspapers as souvenirs. ``I'm a newsman at heart,'' he said.