In January 1959, Hemingway made some statements in the US that were supportive of the revolution, expressing optimism about what was happening on the island, she said.

Hemingway 'supported the executions of the henchmen of the tyranny of (Fulgencio) Batista,' the museum director said.

On his return to Cuba in March 1959, Hemingway 'said he was Cuban and that the Cubans were going to win', Alonso said, adding that the writer later stated that the revolution was 'indestructible and fabulous'.

On May 15, 1960, Castro and Hemingway 'spoke quite a bit' and were photographed together at a fishing tournament in Havana, she said.

'A short time later, they (US officials) went to his house and told him that if he remained in Cuba, he would be considered a traitor,' Alonso said, adding that 'Hemingway never had problems with the Cuban government'.

Hemingway 'suffered from depression', the newspaper, noting that 'the pressure to leave the island may have played a role in worsening his mental state'.