Does any one remver hearig a statement from Castro that he would have a beard until his people were free?
No, but I have heard something similar about Yasser Arafat.
Free of what? They live in an independant country. He won the revolution a long time ago. If they are not free it is because of him.
Why would Arafat refuse to shave until Castro’s people are free? 
Changed the title of the OP to make it more interesting. Just saying “Castro” as a title draws little interest.
samclem GQ moderator
Some guys keep a beard because the beard makes it seem they have only one chin.
I just thought he had really bad acne and wore the beard to hide it.
This article makes refence to Castro stating, in 1959, that he wouldn’t shave his beard until his country had a “good government” (the irony is not lost on me).
ETA: See the “in context” part of the linked article.
Why not? It worked for Jerry Garcia.
Actually, I believe Castro’s beard was a consequence of spending time in exile hiding out in the mountains, prior to the revolution, without a razor blade.