THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE CUBAN AMERICAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION ON ISSUES VITAL TO THE INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  

WAR ON TERRORISM: 

As Cuban Americans we are proud of our heritage. As veterans of the United States Armed Forces, we support and understand the need to safeguard our National Security and that of allied nations from terrorist aggression.  Furthermore, we embrace the determination of our Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush as well as the brave men and women of our Armed Forces, wherever they are or may be deployed, in defending our freedom and that of the free world. As U.S. citizens, we have the right and moral obligation to put forth our opinions and recommendations for the well being of the United States of America. 

CUBA’S THREAT AS A TERRORIST NATION: 

It is evident that Cuba has been the exception of the United States Government’s achievements in the democratization of the Western Hemisphere. Events in the last forty-five years demonstrate, that the successful implementation of U.S foreign policy allowed seven nations in regions of the Caribbean, Central and South America to regain freedom and democracy.   

On April 11, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson ordered the invasion of the Dominican Republic.  This was the fourth military intervention by the U.S. in that nation.  The decision by President Johnson came about over the possibility of another Cuba in the Caribbean.  

In 1973, the leftist government of Salvador Allende in Chile was deposed, due to President Richard Nixon’s initiative.  President Nixon ordered CIA director Richard Helms, the initiation of an intelligence program that resulted in destabilizing that nation’s economy and society, by funding opposition groups and media that let to a military “coup d’etat”.  Unfortunately, a military dictatorship followed Allende’s government for a period of time.  Never the less, Chile is today a prosperous democratic nation.   

Another good example during the eight-year tenure of President Ronald Reagan’s presidency, three other nations were delivered from communism, Grenada, El Salvador and Nicaragua.   

On December 20, 1989, President George Bush ordered the execution of operation “Just Cause” that put an end to the government of General Noriega of Panama. Following the liberation, General Noriega was captured and brought to U.S. justice for drug trafficking.     

On September 1994, under President Clinton’s administration, Jean Aristide was returned to power in Haiti, after the use of coercive diplomacy (the stick & the carrot) against General Raoul Sedras and the military junta. The methods used ranged from sanctions, threats and the eventual military occupation of the island by U.S. Armed Forces. Unfortunately, Aristide’s government was a failure and US troops are again in Haiti trying to establish law and order.    

It is important to note, that the liberation of these countries came about in part, as the result of Castro’s intervention in his attempt to expand communist influence in the Western Hemisphere. The successful U.S. doctrine in the region has enabled those seven nations to remain democratic or as in Haiti’s case, to avoid chaos. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Cuba after the failed U.S. backed Bay of Pigs invasion. 

When comparing the actual threats represented by those seven nations liberated by the United States vs. Cuba’s historical participation in destabilizing nations within the region, without question, Cuba poses a much greater threat to US national security and that of the entire Western Hemisphere. Apparently, today Cuba does not pose an imminent military threat to the United States; however, we should not overlook other relevant realities.    

Cuba, considered by the State Department as a “terrorist nation”, having the capability to produce bio-chemical agents for the development of weapons of mass destruction, has become a considerable risk to U.S. National Security. Roger Noriega, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere told a Senate committee in October 2003: “Cuba has at least a limited, developmental, offensive biological weapons research and development efforts and is providing dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states”. To underestimate Castro’s capabilities and his daring character to share its bio-chemical technology with other terrorist organizations, makes it extremely dangerous, a risk we cannot afford to undertake! 

Cuba under Castro has become a safe heaven to over seventy outlaws including American convicted escaped criminals.  To name a few, Joane Chesmiad who shot to death a New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foster; Charlie Hill killed a New Mexico State Trooper Robert Rosenbloom and Robert Vesco, wanted for fraud, extortion and tax evasion.  

Terrorist organizations such as ETA from Spain, the IRA from Ireland and the narco-terrorist organizations from Colombia: FARC and ELC find refuge in Cuba.  For decades, Castro has sponsored within its territory, training camps, weapons and logistics for insurgents who were introduced into Central and South America.  Today, Castro’s continues his efforts in destabilizing neighboring nations by intervening in the internal affairs of countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.  

Under Castro’s “government”, in cooperation with several drug cartels, the territory of Cuba has served as a stepping-stone in the drug smuggling to the United States.  The record will show that on November 5, 1982, a federal grand jury in Miami indicted four senior Cuban government officials, brought on charges for conspiring to use Cuba’s territory while transporting drugs into the United States.  The four officials were: Vice Admiral Aldo Santamaria Cuadrado, Commander of the Cuban Navy; Fernando Ravelo Renado, former Cuban Ambassador to Colombia; Gonzalo Bassols Suarez, former Deputy Chief of Mission under Ravelo; Rene Rodriguez Cruz a member of the Cuba’s intelligence and President of the Institute of Friendship with the World’s Nations (ICAP).   

Castro has sponsored three separate illegal exoduses from its territory to the United States.  Camarioca, Mariel and most recently during the Clinton Administration, thousands of rafters were induced by Castro’s regime to escape invading our shore lines.  It is well documented that during the process, Castro was successful in infiltrating webs of spies and common criminals into our society. There have been reports that some US officials fear that enactment of any steps to inflict punishment to Castro’s government may cause him to retaliate by unleashing a new migrant exodus to punish the US. Are we going to allow an old terrorist like Fidel Castro to hold hostage our foreign policy? Are we going to blink again?  

Most importantly, Castro has been responsible for the torture of American POWs during the Vietnam War. The first and only time that non-Vietnamese were overtly involved in the exploitation of American POWs was under the “Cuba Program”, organized and executed under direct orders from Fidel Castro. Under this program, 20 Americans members of the US Armed Forces, in Cu Loc (the Zoo), a POW camp in North Vietnam, were tortured by agents of Fidel Castro’s government from mid-1967 to mid-1968 resulting in the tragic death of one of the POWs, Air Force Capt. Earl G. Cobeil.  

In February 14, 1996, during a humanitarian flight over international waters near the coast  of Cuba, two Cuban war planes were ordered to shoot down two US civilian manned planes killing three U.S. Citizens, including Armando Alejandre a highly decorated former US Marine, who served two tours in Vietnam, and one resident alien. A few days after, in a radio broadcast to the Cuban People and in the March 11, 1996 interview with Time magazine, Castro assumed the responsibility for having ordered the attack. Unfortunately, to this date, no one has been convicted nor a swift response has been given by the United States for these crimes! 

We can only conclude that on the bases of Castro’s threats, past and present, to the National Security of the United States and that of the Western Hemisphere that there is plenty justification for the United States with or without the cooperation of its allied nations, to bring about a change through the demise of Castro’s regime. 

A NEW STRATEGY TOWARDS CUBA IS NEEDED: 

Given the facts, that Castro’s regime represents a threat to our national security and that of our allied nations in this region, we have an obligation as a nation, to defend our vital interests.   

Our first recommendation is to have funds by USAID on the Cuban program substantially increased for the benefit of opposition groups, political prisoners and their families in the island. The seven million dollars currently appropriated to the program in not by any means a realistic figure. An increase in funds to the program, will re-affirm US commitment to the Cuban cause for freedom.  

Second, we must realize that the implementation of the Cuban Program by USAID as a “STAND ALONE” project will not bring about an end to Castro’s  regime. Therefore, we strongly recommend, a parallel program involving our U.S. intelligence agencies in coordination with opposition groups in the island, to assist in destabilizing the government within a three year period or less. This program should include covert operation inside Cuba to enlist government officials and members of the military. 

Third, Latin American countries must be convinced by all available means that a binding OAS resolution for a referendum for free democratic elections be conducted under the supervision of international authorities. Fidel Castro has signed numerous declarations that can be used as the legal basis for the OAS actions. 

Fourth, the US government should mobilize the world opinion to initiate international inspections of Cuban laboratories in search of illegal weapons that may be used in terrorist attacks. 

Fifth, the elimination  of the 20,000 visas to emigrate to the US and the closing of our borders to any more Cuban immigrants, who cannot demonstrate political persecution in Cuba. This is an escape valve for the Castro regime to get rid of potential freedom fighters and to infiltrate terrorist agents and spies. 

Sixth, the President should exercised his leadership as head of the Republican Party and demand from those elected officials in Congress who want to expand commercial transactions with Castro to abide by the President’s policy on Cuba. We do not oppose cash transactions that might benefit the constituency of those officials, but Castro should never be allowed to receive credit from any US sources. History shows that Castro does not pay his debts and the American Tax Payer should not be Castro’s guarantor. 

Seventh, send a strong message to the Cuban military that a Mariel-styled politically engineered migration will be considered an act of war. 

This new strategy should begin by having the President of the United States to be more outspoken on the subject of U.S. national security issues and that of the Western Hemisphere vs. Cuba. We believe that a change of strategy and the manner, in which the subject is presented, will bring about a much better understanding and broader support by the American public and our allies. Furthermore, we encourage President Bush to take charge and apply in the case of Cuba, the same doctrine of preservation of freedom as his pre-successors President Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton have done in resolving the destiny of seven other nations.    

We cannot emphasize enough that to postpone the solution of the Cuban problem will give Castro additional time to undermine democracy in Latin America and to strengthen his alliances and obtain much needed valuable monetary subsidies from other terrorist organizations and countries, in exchange for the use of the Cuban territory (90 miles from US territory) as a means to conduct other terrorist acts against the United States.  

History will show that for the past forty-five years Cuban-Americans have made a profound contribution with billions of dollars in taxes and to the growth of the US economy.  Most importantly, as veterans, we have paid our dues, some with the ultimate sacrifice, demonstrated where it counts the most, in the battlefields dating back to the American Revolution, Civil War,  World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Gulf War and presently in Iraq. For Cuba the time has come! 

May God bless America!

 Board of Directors

Cuban American Veterans Association 

March 10, 2004