In 1950, President Prio appointed him Cuban Military Attache to the United States and concurrently to Canada, as well as to serve as Cuba's representative to the Inter-American Defense Board, in Washington, DC.

He traveled to the Dominican Republic as the Cuban Delegate to the Special Inter-American Conference at Ciudad Trujillo on Submarine Platforms Preservation in March 1956 to covertly accomplish his mission.

Batista was highly unpopular among the Cuban people at the time due to his suspension of the Constitution, his failure to call new elections and his oppression of political dissidents.

In April 1956, Barquín launched what became known as a "the conspiracy of the pure" (a reference to the spotless records of the conspiring officers) to remove the President from power.

[1] Barquín led hundreds of Cuban Army officers in an attempted coup d'état to overthrow Batista, who was backed by the United States government.

As a result of the failed coup the Army was purged of its top officers and a vacuum of power ensued that increased the possibilities to opposers like the 26th of July Movement.

Fidel Castro landed in western Cuba and launched his guerrilla war against the government just six months after the coup attempt.

When this scheme collapsed because the Cuban Supreme Court instead recognized Manuel Urrutia as the legitimate president, Colonel Barquín was released from prison late in the evening of January 1, 1959, the same day that Batista fled into exile to the Dominican Republic.

In the afternoon of January 1 the Cuban Supreme Court[1] had ruled that Manuel Urrutia, proposed by Castro's 26 July Movement, was the legitimate president of Cuba.

Cantillo had ordered an immediate ceasefire to the government troops fighting Castro's forces as soon Batista fled and Barquin maintained it as he took control of the Cuban Military.

[2] Barquín "...saluted the insurgent 'Army of Liberation' and handed command (a camp and military fortress) to Camilo Cienfuegos...", according to the Cambridge History of Latin America.

[2] In an 25 October 1960, interview with the Washington Post, Barquín announced that he was actively supporting the People's Revolutionary Movement, which sought to overthrow Castro.

[3] They also included Ramon Barquin Cantero, his teenage son, Luis Posada Carriles, Alfredo Cepero, Jorge Beruff, Raul Lora and many others.

Barquín and his family briefly lived in Miami, Florida, which has a large Cuban exile community vehemently opposed to Castro.

These facilities which he helped to found included two K-12 military school, known as the American Military Academy and American Academy, the Atlantic University, a series of summer camps, and a civic education institute called Instituto de Formacion Democratica or Student Parent Mock Election in English.

[2] He was survived by his daughter, Lilliam Consuegra of San Juan; his son, Ramón C. Barquín of Bethesda, Maryland; six grandchildren, among them another Ramon C. Barquin; and nine great-grandchildren.