Yes, my cousin, who originally turned me on to this story, also pointed me to this article.

Of course, in Cuba today its hard to get any fixin's for the sandwich, particularly meats. You can't get very far without meat or cheese. However, even when times were good and food plentiful and varied, the Cuban Sandwich as we know it was not very common, if it could be found at all. My cousin, who lived in Havanna until he was 16 (he's about my age) never saw one until he got to Tampa. He couldn't imagine why everybody called these foot long hoagies "Sandwiches Cubanos".

Cubans in the old country weren't much for sandwiches, they preferred full meals. The most common sandwich was the "media noche" (the "midnighter") which was usually served at cafes as a snack for people coming out of the theater late at night.

It was a ham and cheese on a round bun a little bigger than a hamburger and would be cut in half so a couple could share it.

A large sandwich suitable for a full meal was a North American thing, where factory workers were paid by piecework and couldn't afford to take the time off to walk down to the corner and get their usual lunchtime bowl of rice and beans.