LIBERAL
Cuban GROUPS
PRO-CUBAN GOVERNMENT
[REF: binder part 19 ]
Organization Name:
ALIANZA DE TRABAJADORES DE LA COMUNIDAD (ATC)
(Community Workers Alliance)
Leader: Walfrido Moreno
Address: 4431 SW 75 Ave., Miami, FL (meetings)
Prominent members: Varela, Clara (Vice President)
De La Fuente, Evelio
Navarro, Julio
Synopsis:
Walfrido Moreno arrived and settled in New York City in the late 1940's.
In the late 1950's Moreno returned to Cuba and resided there for a brief
period of time. While in Cuba, Moreno held a minor post in Fulgencio
Batista's government, but soon he became disenchanted with what he termed
as "governmental abuses" and he abandoned his post. Moreno remained
in Cuba until Fidel Castro's takeover, and during that time, he befriended
many high ranking revolutionary army officers.
Moreno returned to the U.S. in the mid-1960s and resumed anonymity.
In 1978, Moreno and a group of Cuban exile figures joined what was later
termed "The 75 Group". The group, led by Bernardo Benes and Rev. Manuel
Espinosa, travelled to Cuba and engaged in a political dialogue with Cuban
government officials. As a result of the encounter between Cuban exiles
and Cuban officials, the Cuban government agreed to release hundreds of political
prisoners and to re-open flights between Havana and Miami. While in
Cuba Moreno reaffirmed his ties with high ranking government figures.
Having achieved their humanitarian goals, Walfrido Moreno and dialogue participants
Marcos Raul Correa and Vicente Dopico established ATC. As originally
planned, the objective of ATC was to develop an amicable relationship with
Cuban government officials which would enable Cuban exiles to travel to Cuba.
According to Moreno, family reunification was his ultimate goal, and he became
disenchanted with Correa and Dopico's profiteering tactics. As a result
Moreno removed them from the organization. ATC continued its reunification
flights until the early 1980s, when Cuba canceled its reunification plan.
According to Moreno, ATC consists of approximately 3000 members. Members
pay a monthly club fee of $10 and become eligible to travel to Cuba.
ATC selects travelers every month and submits their names to the Cuban
Interest Section in Washington DC. Those persons who are permitted
to travel to the island are issued a visa by the Cuban government and are
later given a travel date. ATC members purchase their airline tickets
solely through ABC Charters.
Moreno claims to have an amicable relationship with ABC Charters owner Vivian
Mannerud, however, he does not conduct business with Marazul Travel or CBT
Tours.
Moreno's family reunification views have been perceived as open collaboration
with the Cuban government, and as a result, ATC group members have encountered
hostile anti-Castro demonstrators at various rally sites.
Organization Name:
ANTONIO MACEO BRIGADE
Leader: Andres Gomez
Address: Miami, FL
Prominent members: Salazar, Manning
Soto, Felisa
Meyerson, Harold A.
Zorn, Jean G.
Smith, Geoffrey D.
Prieto, Yolanda
Valdes, Nelson
Synopsis:
The Antonio Maceo Brigade is a leftist organization, headed by Cuban exile
Andres Gomez, which has been involved in local activism since the mid-1970s.
In the past, the organization has had close ties with the Workers Socialist
Party and ATC. The group publishes a marxist newspaper entitled "Areito".
Andres Gomez and Walfrido Moreno of ATC travel to Cuba on a monthly basis.
Organization Name:
SHEPHERDS FOR PEACE
Leader: Rev. Lucious Walker
Synopsis:
Promoters of "Friendship Caravan", a goodwill gesture which generated medicine
and other essentials for the Cuban government. Assembly of liberal
and leftist groups throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Organization Name:
CUBAN COMMITTEE OF BAY OF PIGS VETERANS
Leader : Miguel Guitart
Prominent members: Belen Torres
Synopsis:
Guitart, a self proclaimed socialist, has chastised U.S. government's foreign
policy towards Cuba. According to Guitart his group consists approximately
of 110 members. The group publishes two liberal newspapers entitled
"Giron" and "Argos Iberoamericana".
Organization Name:
SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY
Leader: Tom Fiske
Synopsis:
A registered political party that advocates leftist views. Groups leadership
has close relationship with the Antonio Maceo Brigade and ATC.
Organization Name:
VA POR CUBA!
Leader: Rodolfo Echevarria
Synopsis:
Group representatives have demonstrated at U.S. Government facilities.
In favor of lenient commerce guidelines between U.S. and Cuba. Member
group of "Shepherds for the Peace".
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