BROADCASTING TO CUBA
Radio Marti & C.A.N.F.
part 2 -- 1991-1994
1/1/91 12/31/91 Odebrecht's civil construction subsidiary Constructora
Norberto Odebrecht (CNO) teamed with Miami Construction firm Church
& Tower, owned by Jorge Mas Canosa, to win a public
contract to build an extension to Miami's metro system. The
project, due to be completed in 1994, has led to four other contracts
in Florida, including an $18 million overpass in Golden Glades and a
$28 million bridge at Vero Beach. (Reuters 6/22/93)
1/1/91 The National Endowment for Democracy grants $100,000 to CANF to
support the International Coalition for Human Rights in Cuba, including
its work to prepare documentation for the March 1991 meeting of the
U.N. Commission on Human Rights and other publications. (NED 1991
Annual Report)
1/1/91 12/31/91 The "Special Report by the Advisory Board for Cuba
Broadcasting on TV Marti" is submitted to President Bush. (ABCB
Special Report, 1991)
1/1/91 12/31/91 CANF helps raise money for the defense of Jose Dionisio
Suarez, who triggered the bomb that killed former Chilean Ambassador
Orlando Letelier in 1976. Dionisio Suarez, who had been a
fugitive until 1991, pleads guilty. (Fonzi, p. 26)
1/1/91 12/31/91 Jorge Mas Canosa is one of 18 Miami Hispanic
contributors donating $11,550 to the campaign of Rep. Robert Torricelli
(D-NJ). (MH, 2/23/92)
1/1/91 1/1/92 Mas Canosa is received by 22 world leaders during this time period. (60 Minutes, 10/18/92)
1/10/91 Marilyn Kalusin $9,529 $0
1/10/91 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $6,000 $0
1/16/91 The "Fat Albert" aerostat blimp breaks loose and lies damaged
in the Everglades, 40 miles northeast of its station. The
breakaway is caused by a malfunction in old Air Force equipment used to
reel in the balloon. TV Marti is off the air, broadcasting only
by satellite, for about three months. The U.S. Coast Guard
absorbs $35,000 in costs relating to the use of a helicopter search for
the downed blimp and the use of a vessel for TV Marti broadcasts in the
interim. (Alexandre, p. 524; GAO, 5/92, p. 7; ABCB, 1991)
1/30/91 Solarz, Stephen 5000 Free Cuba PAC
2/1/91 Solarz, Stephen 1000 Individual
2/1/91 2/10/91 Radio Marti begins conducting a series of 17 programming
focus groups with 438 Cubans participating, most of whom have arrived
in the past 30 days. The testing involves 30 pilot programs, nine
commentators, and six current programs. A videotape and
transcription of each discussion group is made, totaling 85 hours of
videotape. (ABCB, 1991)
2/12/91 Specter, Arlen 3400 Free Cuba PAC
2/16/91 Graham, Bob 1500 Free Cuba PAC
2/19/91 Ros-Lehtinen 2000 Individuals Specter, Arlen 1600 Individuals
2/20/91 Ros-Lehtinen 1000 Individual
2/22/91 Graham 9000 Individuals Mrazek 500 Individuals
2/22/91 Jorge Mas Canosa contributes $1000 to the campaign of Sen. Bob Graham (R-FL). (NLMP)
3/1/91 3/31/91 Jorge Mas Canosa and some 20 other Hispanic leaders hold
a news conference with Rep. Bill Richardson (D-NM) announcing their
support of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The
Washington Post reports other Cuban community sources as saying Mas
Canosa and the CANF originally wanted to oppose the trade pact and
embarrass Mexico because of that country's relatively good relations
with Castro's government. (WP, 5/28/91)
3/6/91 Jeb Bush helps Cuban exiles in a political triumph as the UN
Human Rights Commission (22 to 6 with 15 abstaining) adopts its
most critical resolution against the Castro government. US
diplomats around the world -- from Columbia to the Philippines to
Madagascar -- paid visits to foreign ministries to obtain consensus on
the UN resolution. (MH, 3/25/91)
3/19/91 Ros-Lehtinen 1000 Individuals
3/26/91 Torricelli 6650 Individuals
3/27/91 Torricelli 1000 Individual
3/27/91 In response to complaints of the Exodus program, investigators
for the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services
release its report on the program, finding several flaws. The
report found the Bermuda company, Winterthur International Ltd.,
providing the refugees' health insurance is operating illegally without
a license in Florida, by renewing policies of refugees who have not
established permanent residency. Also, the company issues
policies for only one year, rather than the two years required by the
State Department agreement. The high deductibles have caused many
refugees to resort to government assistance, the report cited; charging
$200 for each and every accident or illness, and $100 for prescription
drugs, one family of three told investigators of being charged $3,000
in premiums for one year of coverage. Finding that "a large
number are without health insurance and are anxiously waiting or
applying for government assistance," the HRS report stated that, "Some
have succeeded in accessing public assistance or Medicaid." (MH,
4/12/91)
3/27/91 The Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services
issues a report criticizing CANF's refugee program, citing problems
with health care and insurance. The Foundation responds a few
weeks later, reaffirming its commitment to help Cuban refugees into the
United States. (MH, 4/12/92)
4/1/91 4/30/91 Lazaro Dorta, a Cuban technician involved in efforts to
jam Radio and TV Marti, defects to the United States. He
characterizes the Cuban jamming effort as "excessively expensive,"
involving Czechoslovakian and Soviet equipment, ten jamming centers and
a coordination facility in Havana, and 15 to 20 jammers in provinces
next to Havana. (ABCB, 1991)
4/4/91 Ros-Lehtinen 1000 Individual
4/9/91 Kasten, Robert 1000 Individual
4/11/91 CANF calls a press conference after Nancy Wittenberg, director
of Florida's refugee assistance program, accused CANF of supplying
illegal health insurance and "atrocious" services to the Cuban refugees
it resettles. Before the news conference, foundation director
Domingo Moreira said, "It's a bunch of s---.... We're not going
to let one bureaucrat do this kind of political hatchet job."
Wittenberg defended she is only trying to protect thousands of dollars
of expenses paid by refugees and their families, citing the story of a
family with babies living in a car. Starting April 1, Wittenberg
said, Exodus refugees will no longer be turned away from public
assistance, despite the foundation's agreement with the federal
government. (MH, 4/12/91)
4/16/91 Ros-Lehtinen 250 Individual
4/23/91 Ros-Lehtinen 6400 Individuals
4/24/91 Kennedy, Rosario 300 Individual
4/25/91 Lehman, William 1000 Free Cuba PAC
4/28/91 Berman, Howard 500 Free Cuba PAC Reid, Harry 500 Free Cuba PAC
5/1/91 5/31/91 The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy reports
that TV Marti is not cost-effective compared to other public diplomacy
programs. (GAO, 5/92, p. 4)
5/3/91 Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
5/7/91 Gephardt, Richard 300 Individual
5/9/91 Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
5/10/91 Reid, Harry 4750 Individuals
5/20/91 Radio Marti announces new programming initiatives, including
broadcasting telephone interviews with dissidents on the island.
(MH, 9/23/92; RMPO)
5/21/91 Judge James Lawrence King rules in favor of the Cuban Museum of
Art and Culture in its case against the City of Miami. King
states that "the city appears to have fallen victim to the local
community's intolerance for those who choose to provide a forum for
controversial artists." (AA, 2/92)
5/30/91 Lehman, William 500 Individual
5/31/91 The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and State votes 6-5
to suspend TV Marti as an amendment to appropriations legislation for
FY 1992. (CQWR, 6/1/91, p. 1451)
6/1/91 6/30/91 TV Marti broadcasts a "Castro Countdown," similar to
ABC's 1981 "America Held Hostage" series, which noted each day the
number of days that the U.S. embassy staff had been held hostage in
Iran. TV Marti's in-house critic considers the program
"Castro-bashing" and TV Marti later stops the broadcasts. (GAO,
5/92, p. 10)
6/5/91 Ackerman, Gary L. 500 Free Cuba PAC Engel, Eliot 500 Free
Cuba PAC Feighan, Edward 500 Free Cuba PAC Levine, Mel 1000 Free Cuba
PAC Miller, John R. 500 Free Cuba PAC Mrazek, Robert 2000 Free
Cuba PAC Richardson, Bill 500 Free Cuba PAC
6/12/91 Hollings, Ernest 1000 Free Cuba PAC
6/19/91 Graham, Bob 1000 Individuals
6/20/91 Graham, Bob 500 Individual
6/21/91 Burton, Dan 500 Free Cuba PAC
6/21/91 Jorge Mas Canosa convinces the leading party in Hungary
to sign a document that he helps write endorsing exile hopes of
overthrowing the Cuban regime. Mas Canosa says the document
constitutes official recognition by the government of Hungary of the
Foundation as the opposition to Fidel Castro. (MH, 6/22/91)
6/23/91 Burton, Danny 2500 Individuals
6/30/91 McCarthy, Leo 2000 Individuals
7/11/91 Wofford, Harris 4000 Individuals
7/11/91 Gov. Lawton Chiles revives a commission investigating the
impact on Florida of an end to Fidel Castro's reign in Cuba. The
governor appoints 37 people to the rejuvenated Florida Commission on a
Free Cuba, including Rafael Cabezas (president of Brigade 2506) and Mas
Canosa. (MH, 7/11/90)
7/13/91 CANF signs the Unity Statement along with Alpha 66, the Cuban
Patriotic Junta, and the Cumbre Patriotica. The Unidad Cubana
(Cuban Unity) is headed by Jorge Mas Canosa. (MH, 7/13/91)
7/16/91 Ros-Lehtinen 668 Individuals
7/18/91 Sundquist, Donald 500 Individual
7/29/91 Abrams, Robert 250 Individual Hatch, Orrin 750 Free Cuba PAC
7/31/91 Testifying before the House Subcommittee on Western Hemispheric
Affairs, Jorge Mas Canosa voices opposition to improved telephone
service to Cuba if that means paying tolls to the Cuban
government. "We are for modernizing and opening those
communications as long as the Castro government does not get hold of
any economic advantage," he states. (House Subcommittee on
Western Hemispheric Affairs, 7/31/91)
8/1/91 8/30/91 TV Marti's in-house critic retires, after commenting
repeatedly on coverage of CANF, the amount and type of entertainment
programming, and deficiencies in TV Marti broadcasts. (GAO, 5/92, p. 8)
8/1/91 8/30/91 Jorge Mas Canosa testifies before the President's
Commission on U.S. Government International Broadcasting. (ABCB,
1991)
8/7/91 Hatch, Orrin 5250 Individuals
8/27/91 CANF announces that it has brought six dissident organizations
together into one organization called the Cuban Democratic
Coalition. The creation of the Cuban Democratic Coalition marks
the first time that the Foundation establishes formal ties with
dissidents in Cuba. (MH, 9/16/91)
8/28/91 TV Marti broadcasts an interview with a psychiatrist who
analyzes Fidel Castro's behavior and suggests Castro is cowardly and
neurotic. (GAO, 5/92, p. 9)
8/29/91 McCurdy, Dave 4000 Free Cuba PAC
9/1/91 9/30/91 The GAO begins an investigation of TV Marti's costs and
compliance with standards and international agreements at the request
of Rep. Alexander. (GAO, 5/92)
9/1/91 9/30/91 Jorge Mas Canosa announces to Miami business leaders
that CANF is negotiating with several Wall Street firms to arrange for
access by a post-Castro government to hard currency. The
announcement revives controversy over Mas Canosa's political ambitions
after Castro's fall. (MH, 10/24/91)
9/5/91 Hollings 9000 Individuals
9/5/91 Jorge Mas Canosa again contributes $1000 to the campaign of Sen. Hollings. (NLMP)
9/6/91 Coverdell, Paul 1000 Individual
9/13/91 McCurdy, Dave 4250 Individuals
9/24/91 Ros-Lehtinen 300 Individual
9/27/91 Levine, Mel 4000 Free Cuba PAC
10/1/91 CANF begins to resettle refugees under the regular resettlement
program for fiscal year 1992. Under this program, CANF receives
payment from the Bureau of Refugee Affairs for each refugee that is
sent to CANF to be resettled. This assistance is to function for
an initial period, to meet immediate needs and advance the refugees
into self-sufficiency and integration into American society as rapidly
as possible. (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
document, 10/19/94)
10/1/91 9/30/92 CANF resettled 853 Cuban refugees through the PSI Cuban
Exodus Program. (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
document, 10/19/94)
10/1/91 9/30/92 CANF resettled 186 refugees, at $588 per
capita. (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration document,
10/19/94)
10/1/91 10/31/91 Jorge Mas Canosa appoints a subcommittee of the
Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting to study and make recommendations
about the future of Radio and TV Marti in a post-Castro Cuba. The
subcommittee reports that a sudden political crisis in Cuba would
require programming flexibility and innovative approaches to news
reporting. (ABCB, 1991)
10/8/91 Ros-Lehtinen 250 Individual
10/10/91 Smith, Neal 500 Individual
10/10/91 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $9,000 $242
10/11/91 Smith, Neal 500 Free Cuba PAC Smith, Neal 4050 Individuals
10/23/91 Torricelli 500 Individual
10/25/91 Gramm, William 2000 Individual
10/28/91 The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for FY 1992, including
funding for Radio and TV Marti, is passed as PL 102-138. (CC, p. 10)
10/29/91 Mack, Connie 500 Individual
11/1/91 11/30/91 The President's Commission on U.S. Government
International Broadcasting recommends that Radio and TV Marti be
removed from USIA and placed under the Board for International
Broadcasting. (ABCB, 1991)
11/4/91 Fowler, Wyche 5900 Individuals
11/13/91 Mack, Connie 500 Individual Wirth, Timothy 1000 Individuals
11/14/91 Breaux, John 5000 Free Cuba PAC
11/15/91 Pressler, Larry 2000 Individual
11/21/91 Hollings, Ernest 6250 Individuals
11/25/91 Lehman, William 500 Individual
11/26/91 Hollings, Ernest 1500 Individuals
11/29/91 Ros-Lehtinen 422 Individual
11/30/91 Daschle, Thomas 1000 Individual
12/1/91 Engel, Eliot 500 Individual
12/1/91 12/31/91 The President's Task Force on U.S. Government
International Broadcasting recommends ending TV Marti unless broadcast
hours can be changed and extended to reach a larger audience, noting
efforts in the ITU to limit cross-border broadcasting. (GAO,
5/92, p. 12)
12/1/91 12/31/91 The State and Treasury Departments authorize AT&T
to make partial payments to Cuba out of an escrow account for telephone
tolls as a prelude to normalized telephone service to the island.
The payments could include as much as $60 million in the account,
accumulated over 26 years, plus $15 million a year. The
authorization comes after the CANF drops opposition to a provision in
the Cuban Democracy Act that would allow expanded modernized
communications with Cuba by easing the embargo on payments for
telephone service. (MH, 2/23/92)
12/3/91 Engel, Eliot 500 Individual
12/6/91 Dodd, Christopher 450 Individuals
12/9/91 Ray, Richard 250 Individual
12/10/91 Bacchus, Jim 250 Individual Packwood, Bob 1800 Free Cuba PAC Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
12/17/91 Hamilton, Lee 2500 Individuals
12/18/91 Ros-Lehtinen 1000 Individual
12/19/91 Shelby, Richard 3500 Individuals
12/24/91 Packwood, Robert 2750 Individuals
12/26/91 Graham, Bob 1000 Individual
12/27/91 Jorge Mas Canosa returns from his second visit to Moscow and
announces that "from now on, Russia will enforce a policy toward Cuba
to promote freedom and democracy in the island of Cuba." (BG,
12/28/91)
1/1/92 The National Endowment for Democracy grants CANF an additional
$10,750 for its support of the International Coalition for Human Rights
in Cuba. (Interview with Megan Connor of NED, 3/31/93)
1/1/92 12/31/92 The Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting publishes a
pamphlet entitled "The Facts About TV Marti," in which it presents
"misconceptions" answered with "facts." The pamphlet states that
TV Marti's budget of $18 million will include entertainment
programming, satellite feeds, the VHF aerostat transmission system,
technical and administrative support, and an estimated $3.6 million for
news programming; the fully staffed news division will employ 52
people. The pamphlet lists the Advisory Board membership as Clair
Burgener, Jose Costa, Charles Tyroler, Christopher Coursen, Joseph
Glennon, William Geoghegan, Salvador Lew, Marjorie Kampleman, and Jorge
Mas Canosa, chair. (ABCB Pamphlet, undated)
1/1/92 3/31/92 The Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting submits to the
President its Annual Report for 1991. The report states that five
Advisory Board meetings were held in 1991, and that the board made the
following recommendations to the President and the directors of VOA and
USIA: that Radio Marti secure a second medium-wave frequency;
that TV Marti be allowed to broadcast during prime time hours; that TV
Marti's studios, personnel, and facilities be consolidated with those
of Radio Marti; and that a USIA contracts officer be hired and funded
by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting to expedite the processing of
contracts for Radio and TV Marti. The report also notes Jorge Mas
Canosa's two trips to the Soviet Union and his testimony before the
President's Commission on U.S. Government International
Broadcasting. (ABCB, 1991)
1/1/92 12/31/92 Mexican President Salinas meets with Jorge Mas Canosa,
and reportedly pledges to minimize Mexico's business dealings with
Cuba. (WP, 6/13/94; BW, 6/27/94)
1/8/92 TV Marti reports that a Cuban in Angola committed suicide and
that it is rumored that he did so because he was told he had to return
to Cuba. (GAO, 5/92, p. 9)
1/10/92 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $6,000 $168
1/13/92 Lewis, John 1000 Individual
1/15/92 Roemer, Timothy 500 Free Cuba PAC Torricelli 2000 Free Cuba PAC
1/17/92 Graham, Bob 500 Individuals
1/18/92 The Miami Herald publishes an editorial, "Bad Strategy on
Cuba," opposing the CANF-backed Torricelli bill to tighten the embargo
on Cuba. The editorial prompts a series of critical statements by
Jorge Mas Canosa in subsequent radio commentaries and in letters to the
Herald and its Spanish language edition, El Nuevo Herald. Among
other activities against the papers, Mas Canosa creates the Cuban
Anti-Defamation League and brings formal complaints of bias against
Herald editors and executives. (MH, 1/18/92)
1/20/92 1/31/92 Jorge Mas Canosa and executives at the Miami Herald
trade charges in the paper. In a published letter, Mas
Canosa writes that the newspaper has shown "a marked insensitivity to
the Cuban American community" and calls on Cuban American staff to
resign in protest. In reply Herald publisher David Lawrence
writes in a column that "when you make wild and angry accusations, like
some of this 'pro-Castro' garbage, you stir up the less
well-intentioned and the more misguided." Over the next several
weeks, the Herald offices and Lawrence personally receive numerous bomb
threats and newspaper vending machines are vandalized with feces and
other materials. Mas Canosa subsequently goes on the radio to
compare the Herald to Cuba's Communist party newspaper Granma, and to
accuse Lawrence of "intellectual terrorism." (AW)
1/21/92 Dodd, Christopher 1000 Individual
1/25/92 TV Marti reports on a planned anti-Castro rally in New York,
without noting that the rally was scheduled in response to a pro-Castro
rally. (GAO, 5/92, p. 9)
1/27/92 TV Marti broadcasts a program with 20 minutes spent on the New
York anti-Castro rally, and two minutes spent on the pro-Castro rally,
virtually ignoring other news of the day. TV Marti officials
defend the broadcast, stating that Cuban media had only covered the
pro-Castro rally. (GAO, 5/92, p. 9-10)
1/29/92 Hollings, Ernest 500 Individual
1/31/92 In a signed column entitled "Slander is Painful, but I will not
be Intimidated," Roberto Suarez, the Hispanic publisher of El Nuevo
Herald, protests against Jorge Mas Canosa's attacks. "In our
community," he writes, "to be wrongly accused of being pro-Castro, of
wanting Castro to remain in power, constitutes an affront, slander and
a lack of respect." (MH, 1/31/92)
2/1/92 2/29/92 President Bush writes an editorial in the Miami Herald
to show his strong stance against Cuba, including support for Radio and
TV Marti. (CC, p. 11)
2/1/92 2/28/92 CANF leases billboards and signs on the back of Dade
county buses which read "I don't believe the Herald." Jorge Mas
Canosa issues a call for a boycott of the paper. (***CITE***)
2/5/92 Robert Torricelli, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Western
Hemispheric Affairs, introduces the Cuban Democracy Act, a bill that
would tighten the embargo on Cuba. Citing the unwillingness of
the Castro government to accept any significant concessions to
democracy, the bill seeks to maintain and tighten existing
sanctions against the Cuban government, with the stated purpose "to
promote a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba" and encourage the
cooperation of other countries in this policy. Touted as "carrots
and sticks" to encourage change in Cuba, the bill includes the
following provisions: authorization for the President to impose
sanctions on any government that provides assistance to Cuba; penalties
for any domestic firm whose foreign subsidiaries conduct trade with
Cuba; denial of port entry to ships that entered a Cuban port in the
preceding 180 days; no restriction on the shipment of food or medicine
to non governmental organizations; use of telecommunications services
and direct mail between the United States and Cuba; Violations of the
Act may result in fines of up to $50,000. However, any sanctions
may be lifted, provided the President determines that Cuba has begun to
implement democratic reform, promised to respect human rights, and
ceased to provide assistance to any group seeking the violent overthrow
of a foreign government. (HR 5323) On March 8, Jorge Mas Canosa
and Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-NY) discuss the possibility of Presidential
candidate Bill Clinton endorsing the Cuban Democracy Act. (MH,
4/26/92) Later that month, Irma Mas contributes $1000 to
the campaign of Rep. Torricelli (NLMP). During the fall, Jorge
Mas Canosa testifies for Senate and House hearings on the Cuban
Democracy Act (CIS Index). Both houses later pass the bill.
(JC, 10/2/92; WSJ 9/25/92; MH, 9/23/92)
2/7/92 Lehman, William 350 Free Cuba PAC
2/11/92 Lehman, William 950 Individuals
2/12/92 Lehman, William 1200 Individuals
2/14/92 Jorge Mas Canosa appears on the NBC's "Today" show. He
tells viewers that the U.S. press put Castro in power and is keeping
him there. (CJR, May/June, 1992)
2/17/92 Swett, Richard 3450 Free Cuba PAC
2/26/92 Mack, Connie 250 Individual
2/28/92 Swett, Richard 1550 Individuals
3/10/92 Gingrich, Newt 900 Individual
3/11/92 Diaz-Balart 250 Individual
3/11/92 The Inter-American Press Association decides to investigate
"attacks, acts of vandalism, and boycott threats" against the Miami
Herald. In a statement the IAPA notes a concern that "campaigns
of denunciation and criticism based on emotions run the risk of
inflaming some members of the community to the point of violence." (MH,
3/27/92)
3/12/92 Johnston, John 500 Individual
3/16/92 Russo, Martin 500 Individual
3/18/92 Diaz-Balart 1000 Individual
3/20/92 Torricelli 8000 Free Cuba PAC
3/23/92 Torricelli 8700 Individuals
3/24/92 Ray, Richard 5000 Individuals
3/27/92 Diaz-Balart 3000 Individuals
3/28/92 Solarz, Stephen 1500 Individuals
3/30/92 Diaz-Balart 1000 Individual Johnston, Harry 500 Free Cuba
PAC Rangel, Charles 300 Individual Shelby, Richard 1000 Free Cuba
PAC
3/31/92 Hollings, Ernest 1000 Individual Sanford, James 750 Individuals
4/1/92 Diaz-Balart 250 Individual Meek, Carrie 1000 Individual
4/1/92 TV Marti extends its daily broadcast hours to include a 30
minute to one-hour program aired during the weekdays at various times
between noon and 2:00 pm, when the Cuban station on the same channel
had not been on the air. The first program is a documentary on
the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. The Cubans jam the
broadcast. Cuba also responds by filing several complaints with
the FCC and the IFRB, and by counter-broadcasting into the U.S. on
several AM frequencies. (GAO, 5/92, p. 4; WP, 4/16/92)
4/1/92 4/30/92 Presidential candidate Bill Clinton appears at a
CANF function in Miami. Commenting on the Cuban Democracy
Act, Clinton says "I like it." The Foundation raises about
$125,000 for the Clinton campaign at the event. (Robbins)
4/2/92 Torres, Esteban 1800 Individuals
4/7/92 Downey, Thomas 2000 Individual
4/8/92 Mack, Connie 1750 Individuals
4/9/92 Sundquist, Donald 1000 Individual
4/10/92 Fowler, Wyche 1000 Individual
4/10/92 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $15,000 $18,974
4/10/92 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $6,000 $219
4/13/92 Mack, Connie 250 Individual
4/14/92 When Cuba begins running a test pattern from 6:00 am to 6:00
pm, TV Marti ceases broadcasting during these hours. (GAO, 5/92, p. 4)
4/16/92 Rep. George Miller (D-CA) circulates a letter in Congress
calling for termination of TV Marti. "It is obvious that TV Marti
is the most costly and ineffective U.S. intervention in Cuba since the
Bay of Pigs," he writes. The U.S. taxpayer has paid $47 million
"on a broadcast to nowhere," he notes. "What is next: TV Mars?"
(Miller letter, 4/16/92)
4/21/92 Menendez, Robert 5000 Free Cuba PAC
4/22/92 Ray, Richard 900 Individual
4/23/92 Menendez, Robert 1000 Individual
4/24/92 Diaz-Balart 5000 Free Cuba PAC Bishop, Sanford 1000 Individual
4/24/92 Bishop, Sanford 2000 Individuals
4/27/92 Menendez, Robert 1000 Individual
4/28/92 Graham, Bob 2000 Individuals
4/28/92 The IFRB tells GAO investigators that it plans to meet soon
regarding the Cuban and U.S. complaints. (GAO, 5/92, p. 4)
4/29/92 Fowler, Wyche 1000 Individual
4/30/92 Fowler, Wyche 2000 Individual Scheuer, James 500 Individuals Souto, Javier 200 Individual
5/1/92 5/31/92 CANF issues a warning to international business
interests considering investments that contracts made with Castro's
government will be repudiated by his successors. "Investments made in
Cuba under the present circumstances should not benefit from any laws
passed by a future Cuban government for the protection of private
property. We feel that these investments should be considered as
state property and disposed of accordingly." (Cuba Survey)
5/5/92 Glenn, John 500 Individual Oakar, Mary 250 Individual
5/6/92 Glenn, John 500 Individual
5/6/92 A GAO report titled "TV Marti: Costs and Compliance with
Broadcast Standards and International Agreements" is released.
Two of the three evaluating consultants felt the programs lacked
balance and did not meet VOA standards, while the other thought the
programs met the standards but that improvements were needed. The
report also states that the IFRB found that TV Marti broadcasts did
violate radio regulation 2666, which requires countries to broadcast
only within their national boundaries. The consultants also said
that news related to Cuba and the Cuban-American community were of
lesser quality: "All three consultants expressed concern about the
extent of TV Marti's coverage of CANF and believed that TV Marti needed
to better portray the diversity of views within the Cuban-American
community." (GAO, 5/92, p. 1, 8-9)
5/7/92 The Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting prints a list of
its current membership, including chair Jorge Mas Canosa, Clair
Burgener, Jose Costa, Christopher Coursen, William Geoghegan, Joseph
Glennon, Marjorie Kampleman, Salvador Lew, and Charles Tyroler.
The list notes that members continue to serve after their appointed
terms expire unless they are replaced by confirmed presidential
nominees. (ACBC List, 5/7/92)
5/13/92 Menendez, Robert 1000 Individual
5/14/92 Becerra, Xavier 250 Individual Gephardt, Richard 1000 Individual
5/15/92 Menendez, Robert 400 Individual
5/16/92 Menendez, Robert 200 Individual
5/17/92 Menendez, Robert 200 Individual
5/20/92 Menendez, Robert 300 Individual
5/21/92 Holtzman, Elizabeth 500 Individual
5/21/92 At an Easter Seal Fund-raiser attended by both Jorge Mas Canosa
and Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence, the chairman of CANF calls
off the anti-Herald campaign, claiming that the paper's coverage of
Cuba and the Cuban American community had become "more objective" since
the confrontation began. Lawrence responds that there has been no
such change and that "the standards of the newspaper are exactly what
they were before: we work like hell to tell the damn truth." (MH,
5/22/92)
5/28/92 Flores, Joan 500 Individual
6/3/92 Diaz-Balart 1000 Individual Graham, Bob 300 Individual
6/5/92 Sundquist, Donald 500 Individual
6/8/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 1000 Individual Diaz-Balart 1000 Individual
6/8/92 6/9/92 The financial magazine Euromoney holds a conference in
Cancun, Mexico on trade and investment opportunities in Cuba.
More than 80 corporate business representatives attend the meetings;
some continue on to Havana for talks with Cuban officials. (***CITE***)
6/9/92 Graham, Bob 500 Individual
6/15/92 Diaz-Balart 500 Individual
6/16/92 Kasten, Robert 5000 Free Cuba PAC
6/17/92 Harkin, Tom 2750 Free Cuba PAC Ros-Lehtinen 1000 Individual
6/19/92 Bishop, Sanford 250 Individual
6/24/92 Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
6/26/92 Considine, Terrence 500 Individual Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
6/28/92 Goss, Porter 1000 Free Cuba PAC Menendez, Robert 1000 Individual Ray, Richard 2000 Individuals
6/29/92 Bacchus, Jim 2500 Free Cuba PAC Coats, Daniel 1000 Free
Cuba PAC Diaz-Balart 1500 Individual Fowler, Wyche 2000 Free Cuba
PAC Glenn, John 2500 Free Cuba PAC Grassley, Charle 5000 Free
Cuba PAC McCain, John 10000 Free Cuba PAC Murkowski, Fran 1000
Free Cuba PAC Shelby, Richard 2500 Free Cuba PAC
6/30/92 Diaz-Balart 9800 Individuals Kasten, Robert 5000 Free
Cuba PAC Kostmayer, Peter 1000 Free Cuba PAC McCloskey, Frank 1000 Free
Cuba PAC Pollard, Ben 400 Individual
6/30/92 Jorge Mas Canosa contributes $1000 to the campaign of Rep.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL). Lourdes A. Quirch of the Cuban
American National Foundation also contributes $500. (NLMP)
7/1/92 Bishop, Sanford 1000 Individual Diaz-Balart 5000 Free Cuba PAC Johnston, Harry 250 Individual
7/1/92 7/31/92 Radio Marti prints a report titled, "Radio Marti
Programming: An Overview." The report includes Radio Marti's
mission, programs, programming development, focus group research,
time-charts of broadcast content, and a programming schedule. (RMPO)
7/1/92 7/31/92 CANF issues a new newsletter, Cuba Survey. Cast as
an economic and political intelligence report, the newsletter is aimed
at organizing business interests for post-Castro investment on the
island. It is "provided to promote discussion of Cuba and its
potential economic impact in the hemisphere." The issue contains
the announcement of a Blue Ribbon Commission on the Economic
Reconstruction to of Cuba whose mission is to compile data on key
industries and "assess options for promoting the economic revival of a
new, democratic Cuba." Members of the Commission include
economist Arthur Laffer and Sen. Graham. (Cuba Survey)
7/6/92 Ros-Lehtinen 1750 Individuals
7/10/92 Bumpers, Dale 1000 Free Cuba PAC Daschle, Thomas 1000 Free Cuba
PAC Dorgan, Byron 2000 Free Cuba PAC McCollum, Bill 1000 Free
Cuba PAC Smith, Neal 5000 Free Cuba PAC
7/10/92 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $23,000 $17,324
7/10/92 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $9,000 $191
7/15/92 Meek, Carrie 250 Individual
7/19/92 Ray, Richard 250 Individual
7/20/92 Williamson, Richard 500 Individual
7/24/92 Mica, John 1000 Individual
7/30/92 The House of Representative votes to eliminate the entire $12.6
million in funding for TV Marti. Rep. Alexander leads the
opposition and calls TV Marti a "cold war relic." His amendment
passes 206-194. However, a few minutes later, a second vote is
held and the amendment is defeated 181-215. The entire
appropriations bill, including funding for TV Marti, then passes
242-153. (Broadcasting, 8/3/92)
8/1/92 Menendez, Robert 250 Individual
8/1/92 11/30/92 In a memo from Jorge Mas Canosa to USIA Director Henry
Catto, the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting recommends moving the
operations of Radio and TV Marti to Miami. The union of Radio
Marti employees objects to the proposed move. (NJ, 2/20/93)
8/1/92 8/31/92 Americas Watch publishes its first human rights report
on a domestic U.S. situation--"the issue of freedom of expression in
Miami's Cuban exile community." The report, "Dangerous Dialogue,"
documents the "violence and intimidation of dissident political voices
in the Cuban American community in Miami. CANF is singled out for
criticism for its efforts to suppress voices of dissent in Miami,
through repeated efforts to close museums, and verbal assaults on
newspapers, radio stations, and individuals with whom the Foundation
disagrees. The report points out the U.S. government is
supporting these activities by funding CANF through NED and Radio
Marti. Among its recommendations are that "the National Endowment
for Democracy should take steps to assure that its grant funds are not
being used to support the suppression of freedom of expression," and
that USIA "should take similar steps with respect to Radio Marti." (AW)
8/1/92 11/30/92 "Jorge has always had a well-established agenda of his
own," warns Raul Masivdal, CANF co-creator and former friend of Mas
Canosa. "He is on a quest to become the future dictator of
Cuba. He is a monster in the making." (Time, 10/26/92)
8/3/92 Bishop, Sanford 1000 Individual Grossman, Nickie 1000 Free
Cuba PAC Mica, John 2000 Free Cuba PAC Morsberger, Emory 300
Individual
8/3/92 The Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy recommends that TV
Marti be shut down. Commission chair Tom Korologos calls the
program "simply not cost-effective," and notes that suggesting the cut
was "a tough political call...it's not a popular way to go, but we call
it like it is." James Skinner, executive director of the Advisory
Board for Cuba Broadcasting calls the Commission's suggestion "out of
step with the vote of confidence Congress just granted TV Marti," and
Antonio Navarro, USIA's Cuba Broadcasting director says that canceling
TV Marti would send the wrong message to Castro. (WP, 8/3/92)
8/4/92 Fielding, Edward 250 Individual
8/5/92 Grossman Nicki 1250 Individuals Meek, Carrie 250 Individual
8/7/92 Graham, Bob 500 Individual Menendez, Robert 400 Individual Ros-Lehtinen 1890 Individuals
8/10/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 500 Individuals Lieberman, Joseph 1000 Individual Meek, Carrie 500 Individual
8/11/92 Grossman, Nicki 250 Individual Menendez, Robert 1000 Individual
8/12/92 Diaz-Balart 1000 Individuals
8/13/92 Mack, Connie 250 Individual Menendez, Robert 5000 Free Cuba PAC Menendez, Robert 500 Individuals
8/14/92 Diaz-Balart 4000 Individuals Flores, Joan 1000 Individual
8/18/92 Souto, Javier 500 Individual
8/21/92 Thomas, David 200 Individual
8/31/92 Graham, Bob 500 Individual Meek, Carrie 250 Individual
9/1/92 9/30/92 The National Endowment for Democracy Board of Directors
decides to no longer fund CANF for its support of the International
Coalition for Human Rights in Cuba, but instead to fund the Coalition
directly with a grant of $100,000. (Interview with Megan Connor
of NED, 3/31/93)
9/9/92 Coverdell, Paul 500 Individual
9/10/92 Ray, Richard 5000 Individuals
9/11/92 Deutsch, Peter 1000 Individual
9/16/92 Deutsch, Peter 1000 Individual Romero-Barcelo, Carlos 300 Individual
9/17/92 Brown, Corrine 1000 Free Cuba PAC
9/21/92 Brown, Corrine 1500 Free Cuba PAC
9/28/92 Hollings, Ernest 4000 Free Cuba PAC Hastings, Alcee 200 Individual Shaw, Eugene 1000 Individual
9/30/92 Considine, Terrence 1500 Individuals Pomeroy, Earl 1000 Individual Ray, Richard 200 Individual
10/1/92 Mica, John 500 Individual
10/1/92 9/30/93 CANF resettled 251 Cuban refugees through the PSI Cuban
Exodus Program. (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
document, 10/19/94)
10/1/92 9/30/93 CANF resettled 139 refugees, at $630 per capita.
(Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration document, 10/19/94)
10/2/92 Ackerman, Gary L. 1000 Free Cuba PAC Andrews, Robert 500 Free
Cuba PAC Burton, Dan 1000 Free Cuba PAC Coleman, Ronald 500 Free
Cuba PAC D'Amato, Alfonse 5000 Free Cuba PAC Engel, Eliot 1000
Free Cuba PAC Gibbons, Sam 1000 Free Cuba PAC Hutto, Earl 500
Free Cuba PAC Levin, Sander 500 Free Cuba PAC Mica, John 1500
Free Cuba PAC Price, David 500 Free Cuba PAC Russo, Martin 500
Free Cuba PAC Shaw, Eugene Clay 1000 Free Cuba PAC Wilson,
Charles 500 Free Cuba PAC
10/3/92 Toricelli 400 Individual
10/5/92 Ackerman, Gary 250 Individual
10/7/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 500 Individual Menendez, Robert 250 Individual
10/9/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 500 Individual Rowland, James 500 Individual
10/10/92 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $25,000 $25,438
10/10/92 Fernando D. Rojas $5,436 $0
10/10/92 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $9,000 $165
10/13/92 Steinberg, Cathey 1000 Individual
10/14/92 Becerra, Xavier 1000 Individual Hollings, Ernest 500 Individual
10/15/92 Bacchus, Jim 500 Individual Les Aspin 1000 Free Cuba PAC
Gejdenson, Sam 5000 Free Cuba PAC Glenn, John 500 Free Cuba PAC
McCurdy, Dave 2000 Free Cuba PAC
10/18/92 CBS-TV's 60 Minutes does a critical television piece on Mas Canosa.
10/19/92 D'Amato, Alfonse 1000 Individual Menendez, Robert 500 Individual
10/20/92 Sundquist, Donald 1000 Individual
10/22/92 Ortiz, Solomon 500 Individual Ray, Richard 2000 Individuals
10/23/92 President Bush signs the Cuban Democracy Act at a ceremony in Miami. (***CITE***)
10/26/92 Aspin, Les 1000 Individual Gingrich, Newt 500 Individual Gillman, Benjamin 1000 Individual
10/27/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 1000 Individual Ros-Lehtinen 250 Individual
10/29/92 Emerson, Norvell 500 Individual
10/30/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 500 Individual Burton, Danny 1000 Individual Torricelli 2750 Individuals
11/2/92 Colorado-Laguna, Anton 500 Individual
11/3/92 Shays, Christopher 300 Individual
11/4/92 Vanwinkle, John 1000 Individual
11/9/92 Fowler, Wyche 1000 Individual
11/14/92 Coverdell, Paul 6000 Individuals
11/23/92 Collins, Michael 1000 Individual
12/21/92 CANF creates the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba in order
to publicize Cuban human rights abuses around the world. Other
exile human rights groups applaud the new organization but complain
that its primary purpose is the overthrow of Fidel Castro and not the
protection of human rights. (MH, 12/24/92)
12/31/92 Romero-Barcelo, Carlos 400 Individual
1/8/93 Pressler, Larry 2000 Individual
1/10/93 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $17,000 $23,483
1/10/93 Fernando D. Rojas $6,342 $0
1/10/93 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $9,000 $176
1/12/93 Mack, Connie 2000 Individuals
1/12/93 An article in the Miami Herald reports that many Cuban
specialists do not see Cuba as a high priority for the Clinton
administration. Jorge Dominguez of Harvard University states that
Clinton "has his plate full and needs to concentrate on building
political capital." Jose Cardenas, spokesperson for the Cuban
American National Foundation agrees: "He doesn't need any side
distractions or controversies, which he'll get if he tinkers with Cuba
policy." (MH, 1/12/93)
1/17/93 Clinton Administration sources leak word that Cuban-American
Mario Baeza will be nominated as Assistant Secretary of State for
Inter-American Affairs. An Ivy-league trained Wall Street
lawyer, Baeza heads the Latin American Group at the firm
Debevoise & Plimpton, specializing in mergers, acquisitions
and privatization of state-owned businesses in Latin America.
Promoted by Clinton advisors Vernon Jordon and Ron Brown as a highly
qualified, pro-business, black/Hispanic candidate, transition team
members assume that he will be supported by key constituencies:
African-Americans, business interests, Latinos and, most importantly,
the Cuban American community which raised considerable funds for
Clinton during the 1992 campaign. (MH, 1/18/93)
1/19/93 Mario Baeza's name is crossed off a list of nominations
released by the Clinton transition team, due to intense negative
reaction by anti-Castro Cuban Americans led by Jorge Mas Canosa.
Baeza critics object to the nomination on the grounds that Baeza is
"soft" on Cuba policy, and not sufficiently committed to the overthrow
of Fidel Castro. CANF is particularly angry that Baeza attended
the Euromoney meetings on trade and investment in Cuba in June 1992 and
traveled to Havana to meet with officials as part of that
conference. "Most of his opinions on Cuba are antithetical to the
Cuban community," states Jose Cardenas, a CANF spokesman. (MH, 1/20/93)
1/20/93 Considine, Terrence 250 Individual
1/21/93 Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) introduces deficit-reducing
legislation to consolidate and reduce international broadcasting
programs. His plan includes the elimination of TV Marti.
The Senator notes, "unlike Radio Marti with its significant Cuban
audience, its television cousin was simply not effective....The goal of
opening up communications with the people of Cuba is commendable, but
let us pursue more productive alternatives." (CR, v. 139, no. 5)
1/26/93 The Miami Herald reports that the Cuban-American lobby has
derailed the nomination of Mario Baeza and that the Clinton
administration will nominate Sally Shelton Colby as assistant
secretary. CANF, sources say, is promoting a package: Shelton
Colby as assistant secretary with Cuban-American political leader Simon
Ferro and Richard Nuccio, a staff aide to Rep. Torricelli, as her
deputies. (MH, 1/26/93)
2/17/93 Mitchell, George 3000 Individuals
2/26/93 Deutsch, Peter 3500 Free Cuba PAC
3/1/93 Deutsch, Peter 1500 Individuals
3/1/93 3/31/93 President Clinton meets with members of the Cuban
American National Foundation. Foundation President Francisco
"Pepe" Hernandez states that the Foundation supports the nomination of
Alexander Watson for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for
Inter-American Affairs, as he "demonstrated a good understanding of the
situation of the Cuban community, defended the U.S. commercial embargo
against Cuba, and has criticized violations of human rights on the
island." (NH, 5/11/93)
3/3/93 Mitchell, George 1000 Individual
3/4/93 The "Fat Albert" blimp breaks loose from its moorings and is
grounded for repairs for several months. Without the blimp, TV
Marti broadcasts by satellite, and is receivable only in households
with a satellite dish. (NYT, 7/10/93; (WP, 1/18/93)
3/8/93 Neubauer, Jeff 1000 Individual
3/15/93 Bradley, Bill 500 Individual Mack, Connie 1000 Individual
3/18/93 The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy again
recommends cutting TV Marti, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty as a
way to cut government spending. Chair Tom Korologos states, "They
are spending $25 million a year on [TV Marti] a program nobody is
watching....We support Radio Marti, because that is working. But
this doggone TV thing...we think it's a waste of taxpayers'
money." Joseph O'Connell, spokesperson for VOA, replies, "TV
Marti continues to enjoy support on Capitol Hill and the support of the
administration....We think despite the jamming, it does get
through." Fernando Rojas, CANF spokesperson, calls the
Commission's report "dangerously short-sighted." (MH, 3/19/93)
3/21/93 Krueger, Robert 1000 Individual
3/24/93 Espy, Henry 1000 Individual Neubauer, Jeff 1000 Individual
3/25/93 Ackerman, Gary 250 Individual
3/31/93 CANF makes public a report on the Cuban economy it states was
obtained from Castro's inner circle. CANF claims it shows that
the Cuban economy has shrunk by nearly two-thirds and will collapse by
July. The report indicates that Cuba's total foreign reserves
have fallen, sugar exports have declined, and the gross national
product has diminished. Jorge Mas Canosa states the report was
prepared by the executive committee of Cuba's council of ministers for
a meeting in November 1992. The Cuban government stops short of
denying the facts in the report, and the State Department gives no
comment. Jose Luis Ponce, an official in the Cuban Interest
Section in Washington, says the report is probably untrue and is
simply part of the "foundation's campaign against Cuba." The
document is titled "Global Analysis of the Economy, January-September
1992" and reports on the downward trend in the Cuban economy.
(CANF Report, 3/31/93)
4/1/93 Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and fourteen co-sponsors introduce HR
1579, the Free Trade in Ideas Act. The legislation seeks to
restrict the President's authorities regarding information exchange,
travel, and cultural exchanges with foreign countries. Berman
notes that the bill does not change the status of assets in blocked
Cuban accounts. (CR, 4/1/93)
4/1/93 4/30/93 Armando Valladares resigns from CANF's Blue Ribbon
Commission, and sends this message to CANF: "Please do not use my name
as a member of the Committee for any reception or activity affiliated
to the Cuban American National Foundation." (Progressive, 7/93)
4/5/93 Ray, Richard 500 Individual Ros-Lehtinen 1000 Individual
4/6/93 Ros-Lehtinen 1400 Individuals
4/8/93 The Miami Herald reports that the U.S. Attorney's Office in
Miami has drafted a proposed indictment that charges the Cuban
government with racketeering and conspiracy to send tons of Colombian
cocaine to the United States. The Cuban American National
Foundation's spokeswoman, Ninoska Perez Castellon, states, "We are not
surprised by the news. For years, the Foundation has been warning
the world about the close links between the Castro regime and drug
trafficking." Administration officials are surprised by reports
of the draft indictment and offer no comments regarding its
implications for Cuban-U.S. relations. (MH, 4/8/93 and 4/9/93)
4/10/93 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $34000 ($1,600 Ladex loans) $31,210
4/10/93 Fernando D. Rojas $5,557 $0
4/10/93 Jonathan Slade (MMW) $9,000 $173
4/14/93 Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Ernesto Leal confirms newspaper
reports that Jorge Mas Canosa has arranged with a secretary in the
Nicaraguan foreign ministry for visas to be granted to Mas Canosa's
relatives in Cuba. Under the CANF-INS Exodus Program, Mas
Canosa's relatives will be able to immigrate to the United States from
Nicaragua. It is not clear why Mas Canosa was unable to obtain US
visas for his family. (CI, 4/30/93)
4/20/93 5/10/93 In a meeting with the editorial board of the Miami
Herald, Vice President Gore comments on Cuba: "We've been paying
a lot of attention to it. Castro's chickens are coming home to
roost. His policies have been an utter failure, and always have
been. Let us not forget that our principal policy for hastening
the departure of Castro is to convince the Cuban people that his
leadership is an abject failure. And our policy is to stay that
course." Gore proposes "turning up the volume" on TV and Radio
Marti, and in response to a question regarding the costs to taxpayers
of a television program that no one actually sees, Gore replies, "Let's
try to make it work." (CI, 5/21/93)
4/21/93 Torres, Esteban 1000 Individual
4/23/93 In an interview with Mexico's El Sol newspaper, Raul Castro
denies drug smuggling accusations and calls for better relations with
the United States. Castro states that the recent charges against
him published in the Miami Herald are part of a right-wing exile
campaign to discredit the regime. Castro also says he sees room
for improvement in Cuban-U.S. relations with the Clinton
Administration. "What I can say is that there is less verbal
aggression this year in the White House than in the last 12
years." (MH, 4/24/93)
4/26/93 Menendez, Robert 2000 Free Cuba PAC
4/27/93 Menendez, Robert 500 Individual Mitchell, George 1000 Individual
4/27/93 Menendez, Robert 500 Individual
4/30/93 The Political Finance and Lobby Reporter releases figures on
PAC money spent over the 1991-92 election cycle. During the two
years, the Free Cuba PAC, associated with the Cuban American National
Foundation had $159,000 in receipts, $158,000 in gifts and $166,940 in
expenses; the PAC gave $79,250 to Democrats, and $79,000 to
Republicans. (CI, 5/21/93; Political Finance and Lobby Reporter,
4/30/93)
5/1/93 5/31/93 The Clinton administration's 1993 budget includes a line
item for TV Marti funding of $18.7 million. (CI, 5/21/93)
5/1/93 5/31/93 A delegation from the Cuban Ecumenical Council meets
with members of Congress and their aids to argue against the
embargo. The Cuban American National Foundation takes out a
quarter-page ad in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, denouncing the
Ecumenical Council as agents of Fidel Castro. (AP, 5/14/93; CI,
5/21/93)
5/3/93 Carr, Bob 500 Individual
5/5/93 Mack, Connie 12250 Individuals
5/6/93 Cuban National Assembly President and former Foreign Minister
Ricardo Alarcon states that he wants to withhold judgment on U.S. Vice
President Al Gore's statements on Cuba until he knows the "context" in
which they were made. Regarding TV Marti, Alarcon comments,
"Turning up and increasing the volume would be to carry on making the
same mistake. Certainly the anti-Cuban TV [Gore] talks about
can't exactly be considered a success....The only thing the U.S. should
do is put a stop to it and simply stop wasting taxpayers' money on
things that place the U.S. outside international norms." (CI,
5/21/93)
5/9/93 Collins, Michael 1000 Individuals
5/10/93 Ros-Lehtinen 250 Individual
5/10/93 5/20/93 CANF opposes the appointment of Elio E. Muller, a Tampa
lawyer who chaired Clinton's Hispanic drive in Florida, as director of
the U.S. Information Agency's Office on Cuban Broadcasting. In
his place, the Foundation wants Antonio Navarro, who headed the office
under the Bush Administration, to remain director. Observers
speculate that the primary motive for favoring Navarro is to keep a
"familiar face" in the USIA. One of CANF's principal
Congressional allies, Rep. Torricelli, is reportedly planning to remain
neutral on the issue. (NJ, 5/22/93; WT, 5/13/93)
5/11/93 Hutchinson, Kay 1000 Free Cuba PAC
5/12/93 Torricelli 1500 Individuals
5/15/93 Hutchison, Kay 1000 Individual
5/18/93 Burton, Dan 250 Free Cuba PAC
5/20/93 During a Cuban American National Foundation meeting, Gov.
Lawton Chiles signs legislation prohibiting Florida state investment in
companies that do business with Cuba. The law prohibits Florida
from investing in domestic companies or their foreign subsidiaries that
do business with Cuba and gives municipalities the authority to revoke
or deny operating licenses to companies trading with Cuba. Also
attending the meeting, which is held on the anniversary of Cuba's
independence from Spain, is Rep. Torricelli, who sponsored the
Cuban Democracy Act. (MH, 5/21/93)
5/20/93 President Clinton celebrates Cuban Independence Day on the
White House lawn with Cuban American leaders from Florida, New Jersey,
and New York. Praising them, Clinton states, "As I look out on
you and I see the great community you represent, I see a real mirror of
the American dream." Clinton also reiterates his commitment to
firm stand on isolating Cuba. (MH, 5/21/93)
5/21/93 Deconcini, Dennis 3100 Free Cuba PAC Lieberman, Joseph 5000 Free Cuba PAC
5/24/93 Deconcini, Dennis 1000 Individual
5/24/93 A Miami Herald article reports that Cuban American "activists
turn D.C. into a soapbox as fight over Cuba policy intensifies."
Writer Christopher Marquis states, "Hard-liners, moderates and liberals
are fighting for control of Radio Marti...CANF [is] trying to safeguard
its position as the preeminent exile voice and lobby--and throwing some
sharp elbows along the way...Meanwhile, critics say, the Foundation has
moved to eclipse organizations it views as rivals, such as the
Valladares Foundation." The Valladares Foundation's executive
director Kristina Arriaga says that CANF officials have told lawmakers
to avoid her group and have organized a competing group for human
rights: "These people remind me of the Mafia." (MH, 5/24/93)
5/25/93 Deconcini, Dennis 2000 Individual Mack, Connie 500 Individual
5/25/93 Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina declares that the
Clinton administration "has not continued to present itself in the
aggressive manner that former administrations did when they referred to
Cuba." However, Robaina attacks the continued radio and TV
broadcasts from the United States into Cuba. Robaina cautions
against "excessive enthusiasm" for improved relations with the United
States as there was no foreseeable end to the embargo. (FBIS,
5/27/93)
5/25/93 More than 60 Radio Marti employees send a petition to USIA
Director Joseph Duffey asking that the station "be maintained above any
competing political factions existing within the Cuban exile
community." The petition includes concerns about the appearance
of conflict of interest within Radio Marti and problems with
objectivity and impartiality. Rolando Bonachea, director of the
Office of Cuba Broadcasting, responding to the petition, says "The
people of Cuba are entitled to know all viewpoints, so I am not going
to exclude anyone from participating in a responsible fashion in the
programming of Radio Marti." (NYT, 7/10/93) Radio Marti
faces internal criticism from a group calling itself "Worried Employees
of Radio Marti." Worried Employees characterizes many members of
the station's staff as "incompetents" and alleges that Rolando
Bonachea, editor of the station, does not know anything about the
profession. Furthermore, the group maintains that a number of the
station's employees are Castro-sympathizers. Bonachea promises a
thorough investigation of the allegations. (WP, 6/1/93)
5/25/93 The Cuban American National Foundation hosts a conference in a
Senate office building on "Cuba's Reconstruction: Prospects for the
Future." The event is sponsored by the Foundation's Blue Ribbon
Commission and features Malcolm Forbes, Arthur Laffer, and a variety of
Cuba experts. The purpose of the conference is to assess the
effects of a shift to market economy in Cuba. At the same time,
Florida International University presents its State Department funded
study on the growing crisis in Cuba in a closed-door session with State
Department officials. The study presents policy options, not
recommendations, in the event of change on the island. FIU was
given $500,000 for the project. (MH, 5/24/93 and
5/26/93) Conservative anti-Castro allies gather for "A Night For
Free Cuba" party in Washington. Among those attending are Jorge
Mas Canosa, Arthur Laffer, Sen. Mack, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, and Richard
Allen. Mas Canosa, when asked at the dinner about his
presidential ambitions in a post-Castro Cuba, insists that "It's
unlikely... There's a big difference between a patriot and a
politician, and I prefer to be a patriot." (WT, 5/26/93)
5/29/93 Ortiz, Solomon 500 Individual
6/1/93 An article in the Washington Post reveals that an organization
calling itself the "Worried Employees of Radio Marti" has released a
statement criticizing Radio Marti programs and staff. The
statement claims that the analysts' department, which "has an annual
budget of more than $350,000 and doesn't do anything positive for the
station," supports "Marxist and Socialist" Cubans and "constantly"
gives air time to leftist dissidents. (WP, 6/1/93)
6/2/93 Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
6/3/93 Burton, Danny 250 Individual
6/7/93 Coverdell, Paul 2000 Individual
6/8/93 Mack, Connie 1000 Individual
6/10/93 Jorge Mas Canosa telephones Carlos Lage, the vice president of
Cuba's Council of State, while Lage is visiting Chile. Mas Canosa
informs Lage that he is impressed by Lage's prudent and moderate
attitude and urges Lage to cooperate with the opposition on the island
and in exile. Mas says Lage listened and said, "Thank you very
much" before hanging up. (MH, 6/11/93)
6/14/93 Florida's 1993 Free Cuba Act, signed into law a month ago by
Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles during a Cuban American National Foundation
meeting, comes under legal attack as six companies sue to block the
law's implementation. The companies, including Marazul Charters
and ABC Charters, insist the new state and local laws are
unconstitutional attempts to regulate foreign trade. Florida
attorneys contend that the new laws will not affect companies, like
Marazul, that have federal licenses. However, Jorge Mas Canosa,
who helped desi
gn the legislation, recently stated in a radio interview that Florida
should use the new law to put Marazul out of business. (MH,
6/15/93)
6/15/93 President Clinton announces his proposal to restructure U.S.
international broadcasting. The plan creates a new, independent
board of governors for USIA; the board will supervise Radio Free
Europe, Radio Liberty, VOA, Radio and TV Marti, and other foreign
broadcasts. USIA Director Joseph Duffey states that unlike the
other operations, Radio and TV Marti will retain their own Advisory
Board for Cuba Broadcasting: "There's no change in this plan at all
that affects the structure of Radio Marti broadcasting," nor are
changes imminent at TV Marti, despite "technical problems" with
transmissions. Duffey also states that Clinton plans "no imminent
movement" to appoint a Democratic majority to the Advisory Board, or to
replace Mas Canosa as its chairman: "That will continue just as
it has in the past," Duffey says, noting that the leadership remains
"bipartisan." Ernesto Betancourt, former Radio Marti director,
comments to the Miami Herald that "the Democratic administration is
going to continue its servitude to the Cuban American National
Foundation." (MH, 6/16/93)
6/15/93 Ernesto Melendez, head of the Cuban State Committee on
Economic Cooperation, states in an interview with a Cuban trade
magazine (which is later picked up by the Associated Press) that Cuba
is ready to negotiate with the U.S. regarding compensation for
nationalized property in the broader context of talks to normalize
relations. The following day the State Department responds
saying, "The Cuban government has not approached us through official
channels to discuss this subject. However, our long-standing
position is that Americans are entitled to compensation for their
expropriated properties, and that such compensation should be paid
unconditionally. If the Cubans have a proposal in this regard, we
would be interested in it." Jorge Mas Canosa states that the
Cuban American National Foundation has no intentions of talking with
Castro or his government: "This means the Torricelli bill is
working...This means the embargo is working. This reflects the
desperation of the Cuban government." (MH, 6/15/93 and 6/16/93)
6/16/93 In a closed mark-up session the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary deletes all
funding for Radio and TV Marti. (CAC, 6/22/93; CM, 6/25/93)
6/21/93 Diaz-Balart 250 Free Cuba PAC
6/22/93 Kennedy, Edward 2000 Individual Ros-Lehtinen 500 Individual
6/22/93 The Miami Herald publishes an article describing dissension,
bitterness, and frequent skirmishes at Radio Marti. The most
recent cause for tension at the station is a complaint filed by Gene
Bigler, an official for the U.S. Information Agency in Havana, that
Radio Marti researchers were favoring the hard-line rhetoric of the
Cuban American right-wing. The article also cites a study
presented by Unidad Cubana to Rolando Bonachea, the acting director of
the Office of Cuban Broadcasting, which claimed Radio Marti was
controlled by leftists who oppose the U.S. embargo and who favor
dialogue with Fidel Castro. Disputes also continue to erupt over who
will be appointed to head the Office of Cuban Broadcasting which has
been directed by Rolando Bonachea since Antonio Navarro retired in
January. CANF favors reinstating Navarro, but Elio Muller appears
to be the leading contender. (MH, 6/22/93 and 7/8/93)
6/23/93 Andrews, Robert 500 Individual
6/24/93 Rep. Carrie Meek (D-FL) introduces an amendment in the House
Appropriations Committee to re-insert $8.75 million in funding for
Radio Marti by taking $17.5 million in funds from the NED. Rep.
Meek states that Radio Marti is a "very valuable investment in peaceful
change in Cuba." the subcommittee's ranking Republican
Representative Harold Rogers of Kentucky argues against it: "Just
because it's nice to broadcast to Cuba...it seems to me it is in
dreamland....And I don't think that we can afford to dream
today." The full House Appropriations Committee votes 26 to 21 to
approve the amendment and restore funding for Radio Marti. (CM, 6/25/93)
6/25/93 Bennett, Robert 1000 Individual
6/28/93 Diaz-Balart 200 Individual
6/28/93 In an editorial, the Miami Herald describes TV Marti as a
failure but recommends that Radio Marti be kept on the air. "If
TV Marti's technical and audience prospects were better, continuing it
might be worthwhile. But neither prospect merits optimism or,
therefore, more money." (MH, 6/28/93)
6/29/93 Bishop, Sanford 2000 Individuals
7/1/93 After having funds for Radio and TV Marti deleted in a closed
mark-up session, the House Appropriations Committee restores funds for
Radio Marti but not TV Marti (CAC, 6/22/93; CM, 6/25/93; MH,
6/25/93). Rep. Diaz-Balart succeeds in cutting $23 million
from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in an effort to
repay Rep. David Skaggs (D-CO) for cutting $17.5 million from Radio and
TV Marti. Rep. Skaggs complains, "I was greatly disturbed and
saddened that the normal business of this House was subject to these
retributive tactics. This is an example of how difficult it is to
pull the plug on a program, even one as ineffective as this one."
Skaggs believes the programs are unnecessary because Cubans are able to
view commercial broadcasts from Florida. (MH, 7/3/93)
Another Cuban American Member of Congress, first-term Representative
Robert Menendez (D-NJ), tells the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call that
he intends to monitor projects in the districts of Members who are
"obviously on a mission" to oppose the "peaceful diplomacy" programs of
Radio and TV Marti: "It could be anyone...For every action, there's a
reaction." (CAC, 7/23/92; RC, 7/5/93)
7/1/93 7/31/93 "The Foundation has gone beyond an international policy
toward Cuba," says Abel Holtz, the Cuban American chairman of Capital
Bank. "They have used their ability to raise money to participate in
the local politics, in terms of appointments of judges and so on; and,
in terms of radio and television, to be the censor of public opinion."
For example, "the Latin Builders Association is actually controlled by
the Foundation, and it's very strong," says Holtz. "If you have a local
election, [the Foundation] would go to the Builders Association and say
you have to support this one for mayor and this one for councilman. So
they are involved in every aspect of the community." (Town and Country,
7/93)
7/2/93 Following the conflict between Rep. Skaggs, who cut TV and Radio
Marti funding, and Rep. Diaz-Balart, who cut funding for Boulder-based
federal programs, CANF sends out a press release announcing "Opposition
to Cuba initiative costs Boulder rep pet project," sending Colorado
papers to press with news of the Boulder-Miami feud. (MH,
10/13/93)
7/10/93 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $47000 ($4,250 Ladex loans) $46,619
7/10/93 Fernando D. Rojas $7,779 $0
7/10/93 The New York Times publishes an article regarding the deletion
of funds for TV Marti and new concerns over the impartiality of Radio
and TV Marti. The article quotes Francisco Hernandez, president
of the Cuban American Foundation, who asserts that neither Jorge Mas
Canosa nor any other CANF official dictates news coverage at Radio
Marti. However, Hernandez argues, "Isn't it fair that if we
produce 80 percent of the news related to Cuba in this community, we
should get 80 percent of the air time?" The article also cites
recent interviews with Radio Marti employees who claim they have been
forced to lobby for CANF during working hours. (NYT, 7/10/93)
7/20/93 Andrews, Robert 500 Free Cuba PAC
7/20/93 Rep. Skaggs successfully raises a point of order on the House
floor to delete $8 million in funding for Radio Marti from the State
Department Appropriations bill. (CAC, 7/23/93)
7/21/93 The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
States and the Judiciary, chaired by Sen. Hollings (D-SC) approves in
full the administration's request of $28 million for Radio and TV
Marti. Sen. Hollings also successfully raises a point of order to
delete $3 million for a Boulder-based project under the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to retaliate for Rep. Skaggs'
earlier actions against Radio and TV Marti. (CAC, 7/23/93;
MH, 10/3/93)
7/21/93 The Miami Herald publishes an article by Domingo Moreira, a
director of the Cuban American National Foundation, defending the U.S.
embargo. Moreira contends that weakening or lifting the embargo
would simply prolong the Castro regime. (MH, 7/21/93)
7/29/93 In a rare open meeting of the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence, several experts and administration officials comment on
the situation in Cuba and U.S. policy. The hearing was convened
at the initiative of Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL). Among the witnesses
are Brian Latell, CIA's National Intelligence Officer for Latin
America, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American
Affairs Robert S. Gelbard. Gelbard states, "We do not wish to see
the Cuban people isolated," citing the importance of the Radio and TV
Marti programs among other initiatives. ("Statement of Robert S.
Gelbard," 7/29/93; CI, 8/6/93; MH, 7/30/93)
7/31/93 Ackerman, Gary 500 Free Cuba PAC Braun, Carol Moseley 1000 Free
Cuba PAC Coleman, Ronald 1000 Free Cuba PAC Gordon, Barton 500
Free Cuba PAC Wilson, Charles 500 Free Cuba PAC
8/1/93 8/31/93 Eight Cubans are picked up by the Mexican Navy off the
Yucatan Peninsula after seven others died when their boat sank.
Mexico deports the survivors, leading to protests by Cuban Americans in
Miami. Within a week, the decision is reversed and the Cubans are
returned to Mexico and given visas. The Cuban government does not
object to the departure of the eleven Cubans, they later leave for
Miami. The Mexican consul in Miami, Bulmaro Pacheco, joins the
Cuban American National Foundation in making the announcement in a news
conference. (NYT, 9/21/93)
8/6/93 The United States resumes TV Marti broadcasts for the first time
since March 4 when the balloon tethered on Cudjoe Key broke loose
during a storm. The broadcasts are jammed immediately, and Cuban
radio promises that "any new transmission at any hour of the day or
night will be rebuffed." (MH, 8/7/93)
8/10/93 Gilman, Benjamin 1000 Free Cuba PAC
8/12/93 In a Miami Herald article, Christopher Marquis argues, "Despite
strong denials by the Clinton administration, U.S. policy toward Cuba
has turned softer, whether by drift or design." Marquis notes
that the Clinton administration has "reiterated a Bush administration
policy that Washington has no hostile intentions toward Cuba; advised
Cubans in advance of military maneuvers in the region on two occasions;
pledged to crack down on anti-Castro terrorism originating in the
United States; characterized a peaceful transition in Cuba as `vital to
U.S. interests,' and refrained from insisting that Castro must leave
power for such a transition to occur." Marquis also comments that
administration officials have not offered strong support of Radio and
TV Marti programs and have lowered their attacks on Cuba in the
international arena. (MH, 8/12/93)
9/2/93 Metro inspectors found that MBL Paving Inc., which was being
awarded black contracts, was actually controlled by Canosa's
company, Church and Tower, whose employees, including its
president, Paul Banks, worked for MBL, The Herald reported. On Aug. 20,
Metro removed MBL from a $1,458 paving and drainage job on a West Dade
jail. Church and Tower, since 1984, used MBL to secure contracts,
to the tune of $61 million, county records show, according to The
Herald. Mas Canosa has denied all allegations of
impropriety. Banks has declined to comment on his company's business
practices. (MT 9/2/93)
9/3/93 An unidentified official at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana
begins a series of reports on the effectiveness of TV Marti. The
official, using a battery-powered Sony "Watchman" portable
television while traveling to various locations in Cuba, reports that
for "a minute or two before the jamming starts" TV Marti can be viewed,
but "once the jammers come on, however, the TV becomes hash [sic] and
noise." (U.S. Interests Section, [TV Marti Report One], 9/3/93)
9/8/93 At a National Press Club function, Reps. Ros-Lehtinen and
Diaz-Balart, along with Cuban exiles, discuss opposition to a new
immigration accord between Cuba and the United States. (Reuters,
9/5/93; CI, 9/24/93)
9/10/93 The U.S. Interests Section reports that the "window for TV
Marti broadcasts is tiny: [deleted] the TV Marti program was received
on three occasions in a small area about 35 kilometers west of Havana,"
where it appears that "a small gap of from five to ten kilometers in
length exists between Cuban jamming west of Havana and just to the east
of the Port Town of Mariel." On the morning of September 3, "the
TV Marti signal was completely overshadowed by Channel 13, TVT, the CBS
affiliate station in Tampa, Florida." On the morning of September
6, the official "finally detected clear audio with poor picture at 5:45
a.m. to hear an excellent report on the commemoration of Martin Luther
King's 'I Have a Dream' speech." (U.S. Interests Section, [TV
Marti Report Two], 9/10/93)
9/14/93 After monitoring the del Rio area eleven times, the U.S.
Interests Section reports that "on three occasions TV Marti programs
were received at least faintly in a small area...this reception area is
very sparsely populated and extends no more than a few kilometers south
of the coast road and for about ten kilometers from east to
west." On September 14, amidst "poor atmospheric conditions," the
official reports "only noise and snow on TV, while Radio Marti faded in
and out on short-wave." (U.S. Interests Section, [TV Marti Report
Three], 9/14/93)
9/16/93 Seventy-two Cubans creep under a garden wall into the Mexican
embassy in the Dominican Republic, refusing to leave unless Mexico
helps them get to Miami. The Mexican government refuses, saying
it will not act as a consular intermediary. (NYT, 9/21/93) The
New York Times reports that Cuban American leaders have been pressuring
Mexico to work on behalf of the 72 Cubans. Rep. Diaz-Balart says
at least a few legislators already plan to vote against NAFTA due to
Mexico's relations with Cuba. Mexican officials fear that the
refugee problem will further endanger the free trade accord: "We
do not need any explosive issue to come up which is going to
interfere with what is already a very difficult process," a senior
Mexican official is quoted as saying; bending to Cuban American groups
"is a relatively small price to pay." (NYT, 9/21/93)
9/24/93 Miami (Fla.) Cuban exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa
negotiates to merge his family-run contracting business Church
& Tower with cable-laying company Burnup & Sims Inc. (MH
9/24/93)
9/29/93 The U.S. Interests Section reports after two additional days of
monitoring TV Marti broadcasts east of Havana that a "very poor signal
was detected briefly on September 28. But much better reception
was detected over a broad area on September 29." On the 29th, TV
Marti programming was "heard fairly clearly," but "a clear video signal
was received only intermittently, probably due to poor atmospheric
conditions." (U.S. Interests Section, [TV Marti Report Four],
9/29/93)
9/30/93 CANF discontinued its participation in the PSI refugee resettlement program.
10/1/93 9/30/94 CANF resettled 111 refugees at $655 per capita.
10/1/93 The New York Times publishes an editorial critical of TV Marti
and the Presidential Advisory Board headed by Jorge Mas Canosa but
supportive of Radio Marti. The article suggests that Mas
Canosa is too divisive a figure to be a central character in both
stations. The Times recommends that Congress delete funding for
TV Marti and eliminate the advisory board but maintain the budget for
Radio Marti. (NYT, 10/1/93)
10/7/93 Rep. Skaggs releases a just-declassified report showing that TV
Marti broadcasts are consistently jammed in Cuba despite redirection of
the transmitting signal. The report, prepared by U.S. personnel
in Cuba, was declassified at Rep. Skaggs' request and tracks TV Marti
reception in September in various Cuban locations. (Skaggs Press
Release, 10/7/93)
10/10/93 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $32,000 $25,038
10/10/93 Fernando D. Rojas $8,890 $0
10/10/93 An article by David Rivera, special assistant to the Office of
Cuba Broadcasting, appears in the Miami Herald on Cuba. The
article compares conditions in Cuba at the time of independence with
the present situation. (MH, 10/10/93)
10/10/93 An anti-Castro rally in Miami draws an estimated 100,000 Cuban
exiles to the streets, including members of Florida's congressional
delegation and Jorge Mas Canosa, who states, "Now more than ever all
Cubans must be united. It's time to unite the Cubans with
everybody that loves democracy in order to conquer democracy in Cuba,
so that step by step we could reach that glorious day in which Cubans
in the island and the people in exile will be reunited again."
(CI, 10/15/93)
10/11/93 Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina announces that Cuba
will host a conference between Cuban exiles and Cuban government
officials during the first half of next year to discuss key issues in
mutual relations. This will be the first such meeting since the
"dialogue" in 1978. (MH, 10/13/93)
10/13/93 House and Senate conferees meet to resolve fiscal year 1993
appropriations, including funds for broadcasting to Cuba. Of a
total Clinton administration request for $28 million, Congress
appropriates $21 million, with $14 million for Radio Marti and $7
million for TV Marti. Of the TV Marti funds, $2.5 million will
remain in escrow until July 1993, by which time the USIA director is to
determine "whether TV Marti broadcasting is technically sound and
effective and is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban
audience to warrant its continuation and whether the interests of the
United States are better served by maintaining television broadcasting
to Cuba, by terminating television broadcasting to Cuba, or by funding
other activities related to promoting democracy in Cuba authorized by
law." The amendment also states that unless USIA Director Joseph
Duffey, with the help of an advisory panel, finds that TV Marti is
technically sound and effective, the funds in escrow will only be made
available for termination of the program. Rep. Skaggs says he
expects the USIA advisory panel to recommend cutting TV Marti, but
comments, "The battle to pull the plug on TV Marti is a good example of
just how difficult it is to kill a federal program...I can't imagine
that the panel could conclude anything but what so many objective
observers and reports have been saying all along, that TV Marti just
isn't working." However, Jose Cardenas, spokesperson for CANF,
remarks, "We're ecstatic that we have another year to try to make TV
Marti work." (House Report 293, Conference Report,
10/14/93; MH, 10/14/93)
10/13/93 An editorial in the Miami Herald advocates keeping Radio
Marti, saying it "clearly deserves to remain on the air. But TV
Marti can be safely retired to the place where other failed government
programs rest." (MH, 10/13/93)
10/15/93 Deutsch, Peter 2000 Free Cuba PAC
10/15/93 Defying federal rules and parole conditions aimed at curbing
violent political activities, Cuban exile leader Orlando Bosch
announces that he is opening the headquarters of his new political
party, Protagonist Party of the People, in Miami. The party's
goal is to collect money for support of an anti-Castro rebellion in
Cuba. Bosch states that he is aware his activities could violate
federal restrictions, but that he doesn't care: "That's the
problem of the authorities...I consider those restrictions to have
expired." Andres Rivero, spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's
office, declines to comment. (MH, 10/16/93)
10/26/93 Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
Alexander Watson delivers a speech at a luncheon sponsored by the Cuban
American National Foundation. Watson reiterates the
administration's commitment to the Cuban Democracy Act and announces
that "our relations will not improve and the embargo will not be lifted
until such time as there are democratic reforms and respect for human
rights in Cuba." In addition, Watson praises Radio and TV Marti,
saying that "now more than ever the Cuban people need the kind of
information that Radio and TV Marti provide." Watson also insists
that U.S. policy toward Cuba will not change despite the "charm
offensive" launched by the Castro regime. (WT, 10/27/93)
11/22/93 Carla Anne Robbins of the Wall Street Journal reports on a
classified National Intelligence Estimate on Cuba issued by the CIA in
August, warning the president of a potential major crisis as conditions
worsen in Cuba. The article notes that despite the Agency's grim
predictions, President Clinton seems unlikely to change current U.S.
policy on Cuba "at the cost of infuriating the powerful Cuba
lobby. 'The political climate right now is: Don't take any
chances,' says one frustrated U.S. official." (WSJ, 11/22/93)
11/27/93 Burnup & Sims board of directors approves acquisition
of Church & Tower under which family of Cuban exile
leader Jorge Mas Canosa will gain control of Burnup &
Sims for stocks valued at $58 million; board approves agreement with
National Beverage Corp. to eliminate its 36 percent stake in Burnup;
announces filing of shareholder suit challenging the transactions (MH
11/27/93)
11/30/93 Hamilton, Lee 1000 Free Cuba PAC
11/30/93 An article by Radio Marti analyst Richard Planas appears in
the Miami Herald, comparing Cuba's period of independence to its
current situation. Planas concludes by commenting that
"Santayana's quote, `those who cannot remember the past are condemned
to repeat it,' might be of extreme value today, although not to Castro,
but to Washington as well as Cubans, both on the island and in
exile." (MH, 11/30/93)
12/2/93 The New York Times reports that the Cuban American National
Foundation will attempt to accelerate the naturalization process to
grant citizenship to the Cuban athletes who defected during the Puerto
Rican games. Normally U.S. citizenship can be obtained after five
years of residency, which would preclude the Cubans' participation on
the US team in the 1996 Olympics. Francisco Hernandez, president
of the Foundation, says, "We understand it would have to be an act of
Congress, but it has been done in the past." INS spokesperson
Duke Austin says it would be unusual: "The reason Congress doesn't do
it is that it would be beset with all kinds of requests from others,
some more meritorious than participating in an athletic event."
(NYT, 12/2/93)
12/21/93 USIA Director Joseph Duffey announces the appointment of a
three-member advisory panel to evaluate Radio and TV Marti. Peter
Straus, named as chairperson, will report along with William Doherty
and Sydnee Guyer Lipset to Duffey and Congress within 90 days.
Straus is a former director of VOA, Doherty is the executive director
of the American Institute for Free Labor Development, and Guyer Lipset
is a media consultant with 17 years experience in television and radio
production. In announcing the appointments, Duffey states that
the panel will "assist me in reviewing the purposes, policies and
practices of our broadcasting to Cuba. I am confident that the
three individuals that I have chosen will help me and the Congress
appraise the informational value of these broadcasting efforts which
have served us so well over the last ten years. Dealing with Cuba
in the post-Soviet age calls for a fresh look at Cuban realities and a
new cost-benefit analysis." Duffey also announces that Robert
Leiken will serve as executive director of the advisory panel.
Leiken's appointment stirs some controversy due to his past involvement
in the Reagan administration's Contra war effort. Iran-contra
documents record Leiken meeting with Lt. Col. Oliver North at least
twice. A now declassified secret National Security Council memo
titled "Central America Strategies" indicates that Leiken also met with
veteran CIA propaganda specialist Walter Raymond. Reporting on
their meeting to National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane, Raymond
discussed the "Bob Leiken Approach": "I had a long talk with Bob
Leiken who, as you know, is a rock-ribbed liberal who works for the
Carnegie Endowment. Two months ago Leiken wrote a major piece
supporting our policies, and it was a significant breakthrough.
He approached me on 15 January at a face-to-face dinner and suggested
that he would like to help. He plans to take some soundings and
will confirm his willingness to help about 1 February. If Leiken
is prepared to help he will be particularly useful in lobbying the
political liberals in this city. He believes we have a fairly
good chance of winning the Contras fight on the Hill if we play our
cards right. I think at some point it will be useful for you to
talk directly to him." (USIA Press Release, 12/21/93; Oliver
North, Schedule for 5/3/85 and 10/25/85; Walter Raymond, NSC Memorandum
for Robert McFarlane, "Central America Strategies," 1/19/85)
12/23/93 Engel, Eliot 2000 Free Cuba PAC Lautenberk, Frank 1000 Free Cuba PAC
12/28/93 Mack, Connie 5000 Free Cuba PAC Price, David 500 Free Cuba PAC Swett, Richard 2000 Free Cuba PAC
1/6/94 A real estate investment company controlled by the family of
Miami businessman and Cuban exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa has purchased
two distressed West Dade shopping centers for $ 26 million, averting a
scheduled Jan. 13 foreclosure auction. Mas' company, US
Development Corp., bought the property, equity and debt with the help
of $ 29 million in financing from First Union National Bank.
Former majority owners are Luis and Maria Cruz; Luis is a CANF board
member. (Miami Daily Business Review 1/6/94)
1/7/94 Smith, Neal 5000 Free Cuba PAC
1/10/94 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $24000 ($7,250 Ladex loans) $29,601
1/10/94 Fernando D. Rojas $5,557 $0
1/13/94 The Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti holds its first
public meeting. Statements are made by Dr. Rolando Bonachea,
Deputy Dir. of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Antonio Dieguez, Dir.
of TV Marti, William Haratunian, International Communications
Consultant for the National Association of Broadcasters, Paul Cejas,
Chairman of the Free Cuban Commission, Ernesto Diaz, International
Representative of the Coordinadora Obrera Cubana and Union Sindical de
Trabajadores de Cuba, Joseph Bruns, Acting Dir. of Voice of America,
Ernesto Betancourt, former Dir. of Radio Marti, Antonio Navarro, former
Dir. of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Gillian Gunn, Dir. of the
Georgetown University Cuba Project, Dr. Mark Falcoff, Resident Scholar
at the American Enterprise Institute, Frank Calzon, Washington
Representative for Freedom House, and George Gedda of the Associated
Press. In his statement to the panel, TV Marti
Director Antonio Dieguez speaks of the role he envisions for TV Marti
in the event of a Cuban upheaval: "Apart from the short-term
objective of contributing to the flow of information within Cuba, my
strategy since joining TV Marti has been to make the station ready for
the inevitable day of Cuba's liberation, and not to disband the army on
the eve of the main battle. TV Marti can not only contribute to
expedite its coming, but also to shaping events during the dangerous
initial days of Cuba's transition. TV Marti would then play a
role unprecedented in broadcasting history. And, frankly, all of
us at TV Marti want to be a part of that moment." (Advisory Panel
Agenda, 1/13/94; statement of Antonio Dieguez)
1/20/94 Meek, Carrie 5000 Free Cuba PAC
2/1/94 The Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti holds its second
public meeting. Those testifying include Alexander Watson,
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, Don Hamilton,
Dir. of USIA's Office of American Republics Affairs, Dr. Elizabeth Fox,
Manager of Strategic Planning at USIA's Bureau of Broadcasting, Jorge
Mas Canosa, Chairman of the CANF and of the ABCB, and Carlos Alberto
Montaner, President of Union Liberal Cubana. (Advisory Panel
Agenda, 2/1/94)
2/1/94 Elizabeth Fox of the USIA's Office of Research issues a report
titled "U.S. Government Broadcasting to Cuba: An Assessment from
Within." The report consists primarily of the results of "a study
of foreign and domestic media habits of Cubans applying for a visa in
the U.S. Interests Section," and is based on a survey of 763
Cubans seeking to visit the U.S. between December 13 and 18,
1993. Fox notes that the survey sample "cannot be assumed to
represent the Cuban population," because "those who seek to visit the
U.S. differ from the general Cuban population." Survey
participants responded to a written questionnaire, which initially
asked "unprompted" questions, listing no options for response; later in
the survey, similar questions were offered in "prompted" form, listing
answer options to choose from. Respondents were instructed to
list or mark broadcasts viewed or listened to at least once a
week. Regarding radio broadcasts, the survey found "an unprompted
listening rate for Radio Marti of 31 percent and a prompted listening
rate of 54 percent." Regarding television broadcasts, the survey
found "no unprompted viewing rate for TV Marti and a prompted viewing
rate of 4 percent." (USIA, "U.S. Government Broadcasting to Cuba:
An Assessment from Within," 2/1/94)
2/7/94 The Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti holds its third
public meeting. The panel hears from Dr. Jorge Salazar Carrillo
of Florida International University, Dr. Mark Rosenberg, Dir. of the
Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International
University, Dr. Alejandro Portes of the Johns Hopkins University's
Cuban Committee for Democracy, Jaime Suchlicki of the University of
Miami, Ricardo Bofill, Oscar Pena, Oscar Alvarez, Modesto Castaner,
President of Unidad Cubana, and Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo of Cambio
Cubano. (Advisory Panel Agenda, 2/7/94)
2/8/94 The Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti holds its fourth
public meeting, this one held in Coral Gables, Florida to hear the
views of Cuban exile organizations. Statements are made by
Sebastian Arcos Cazabon, Ariel Hidalgo, Julio Estorino of Municipios de
Cuba en el Exilo, Roberto Rodriguez Aragon of Junta Patriotica, Orlando
Gutierrez, Dir. of Revolucionaro Democratico Cubano, Dr. Enrique
Baloyra of the University of Miami's Cuban Committee for Democracy, Uva
Clavijo of Florida International University, and Dr. Juan Clark of
Miami-Dade Community College, Kendall Campus. Orlando Gutierrez
argues for increased support for radio broadcasts to Cuba: "The U.S.
government should cease to provide the Castro regime with a cheap
victory and invest the valuable resources now in place for TV Marti in
Radio Marti." Enrique Baloyra characterizes TV Marti as "a U.S.
policy failure," which "presently falls within the range of those U.S.
foreign policy initiatives -- including poisoned cigars, exploding
toilets and the like -- that have helped make Mr. Castro a legend in
his own mind." (Advisory Panel Agenda, 2/8/94; MH, 2/9/94)
2/10/94 President Clinton announces the appointment of Richard M. Lobo
to head the USIA's Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Lobo recently
worked as president and general manager of the NBC affiliate in
Miami. He says after his appointment, "I promise my full support
for Radio and TV Marti's vital mission. As the grandson of
Cubans, I am extremely proud to help bring democracy and freedom to
Cuba." (CI, 2/18/94)
2/14/94 Bryan, Richard 3100 Free Cuba PAC
2/14/94 Irma Mas Canosa, Jorge Mas Canosa's wife, is slightly injured
by cross-fire during a shoot-out between two unidentified men in
Florida; police express doubt that the shooting was politically
motivated or aimed at Mas Canosa. (MH, 2/14/94 )
2/17/94 Lautenberg, Frank 2600 Free Cuba PAC
2/18/94 The family engineering business owned by Jorge Mas
Canosa has discussed investing nearly $ 200 million in
hydroelectric power plant construction projects and purchasing a
majority stake in Chengdu Machinery. Canosa is chairman of the
company, Church and Tower Inc. and president of the Cuban
American National Foundation, an anti-Castro organization. Church
and Tower would have partners in companies controlled by the
municipal government of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province,
according to Jorge Mas Canosa Jr. But on Friday, a
spokesman for the Mas family said nothing is final. Mas
Jr., Church and Tower's president, acknowledged that
the family would be in for political criticism. But he defended the
discussions, saying the Chinese and Cuban governments are ''totally
different.'' He cited economic freedom and increasing
political democracy in China, but said Cuba languishes as a
totalitarian state. Mas Jr. said he, not his father who opposes
trade with Cuba, made the decision to discuss investing in China. (AP
2/18/94)
2/18/94 After a ninety-minute closed session with RAND Corporation
analysts which reportedly focuses on alternative means of transmitting
television signals to Cuba, the Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV
Marti holds its final public meeting. The meeting begins with a
"Panel on Impact of TV in Crisis," which postulates the role TV Marti
might play in a future Cuban upheaval. Participants on this panel
include Michael Schneider of the State Department, Elemer Hankiss,
visiting professor at Georgetown University, Sherwood Demitz, Chief of
USIA's Communications Media Branch, and John Lennon, Chief of VOA's
South European Branch. Later others testify, including Rep.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Rep. Robert Menendez, Rep. David Skaggs, Ralph
Thomas of the Justice Department's Immigration and Naturalization
Service, Dr. Jorge Dominguez of Harvard University and Inter-American
Dialogue, Dr. Irving Louis Horowitz of Rutgers University, and Radio
and TV Marti staff members. In his statement, Rep. Skaggs reminds
the advisory panel that Congress directed the panel to "examine whether
TV Marti is technically sound and effective and is consistently being
received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its
continuation." He states that "I realize that you may be tempted
-- or encouraged -- to stray into policy areas beyond the scope of the
panel's mission, but I would caution against this." He then makes
the following arguments about the TV Marti program: "In reviewing
the statements of those who have testified before the panel-to-date,
I've been struck by the fact that supporters of TV Marti are now
acknowledging -- after having disputed the fact for years -- that the
program fails to reach its intended audience in Cuba due to successful
jamming by Castro....In addition, whether we're using VHF or UHF, it's
still a violation of international law for the United States either to
broadcast outside its national boundaries without prior consent of the
receiving country, or to operate on a channel duly registered for use
by Cubans only. The United States, which is heavily dependent on
the global telecommunications system, should not lightly disregard the
consequences of the bad precedent we're setting." On the issue of
Radio Marti, Skaggs suggests that the program has been plagued by
"(t)roubling questions about undue influence and conflict of interest
(financial and political)" with respect to Jorge Mas Canosa. With
regard to these problems, Skaggs concludes that either they should end,
"or Radio Marti should end." (Advisory Panel Agenda, 2/18/94;
Statement of Congressman David E. Skaggs, 2/18/94)
2/19/94 Mas Canosa denies negotiating with Communist China. (MH 2/19/94)
2/21/94 Gejdenson, Sam 5000 Free Cuba PAC
2/24/94 Jorge Mas Jr. admits signing a letter of intent to do business with China, despite Mas senior's denials. (MH 2/24/94)
3/10/94 The class action suite brought on by Burnup and Sims
shareholder Albert Kahn (and his lawyer Pamela Tikellis of
Chimicles, Jacobsen, and Tikellis) was thrown out by a Delaware
judge, preventing shareholders from the blocking the merger.
Shareholders felt that they were losing money in the venture. (MH
3/11/94)
3/10/94 3/20/94 Mas Canosa announces that his movement is pulling out
of the Miami coalition Cuban Unity. "We don't think the armed
struggle is the most effective method right now," explains the
Foundation's deputy director, Francisco "Pepe" Hernandez. "Every
community unquestionably has the right to rise up in arms, but armed
confrontation would only lead to more bloodletting, and among innocent
people." (Guardian, 4/10/94)
3/12/94 Church and Tower acquires Burnup and Sims in exchange for
stock, and renames the combined company MasTec, Inc. Jorge Jr.
will be the executive director. (NYT 3/12/94)
3/15/94 Church and Tower scraps plans to invest in Chengdu, China for moral and political reasons. (NYT 3/15/94)
3/17/94 Jorge Mas Canosa testifies before the House Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures and Subcommittee on Trade
Committee on Ways and Means on H.R. 2229, the "Free Trade with Cuba
Act." Former CANF executive Jose Sorzano, (Chairman, The Austin
Group, Inc., and Former Senior Director for Latin America, National
Security Council) also testifies. Members of the committee
include Dan Rostentowski, chairman, Bob Graham, Michael Kopetski,
George Miller, Esteban Torres, Robert Torricelli, Donald Payne, Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, Jose Serrano, Bernard Sanders, Peter Deutsch, Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, and Robert Menendez. (Federal Document Clearing House,
3/17/94)
3/20/94 Old political foes Rev. Jesse Jackson and Jorge Mas Canosa meet
for two hours and discuss their interest in bringing democracy to Haiti
and Cuba and in easing relations between South Florida's black and
Hispanic communities. Mas Canosa had vehemently criticized
Jackson's anti-embargo stance only days before. (MH, 3/20/94)
3/26/94 Torricelli 5000 Free Cuba PAC
4/1/94 The Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti issues its
report. In its three month study of U.S. Cuba broadcasting, the
Panel found that while there is room for improvement, the stations
"meet established standards for objectivity" and provide "important
information not otherwise available to the Cuban people."
The report recommends that membership on the President's Advisory Board
for Cuba broadcasting be rotated every three years and that USIA take
steps to ensure the "editorial integrity" of news broadcasts and the
"editorial freedom" of employees. The report also suggests
that "the Advisory Board should be a consultative body and not involve
itself in day-to-day broadcasting operations or in the recruitment or
promotion of personnel." In regard to TV Marti, the
report argues that though "by the usual economic criteria, TV Marti
cannot now be considered cost-effective," discontinuing the broadcasts
would be "unjust" and "imprudent." Acknowledging that "at present
TV Marti's broadcasts are not consistently received by a substantial
number of Cubans," the panel recommends that TV Marti's transmissions
be converted from VHF (Very-high Frequency) to UHF (Ultra-high
Frequency), a move they suggest will increase TV Marti's
viewability. The panel reports that in the event of a "major
crisis" in Cuba, State Department contingency plans "envision a major
role for Radio and TV Marti." (IPS, 6/10/94; Report of the
Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti)
4/7/94 After a recent meeting in the presidential palace in Bogota,
foundation Chairman Jorge Mas Canosa said Mr. Gaviria promised that
Colombia has no plans to subsidize oil sales to Cuba. (WT 4/12/94)
4/10/94 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $24500 ($1,500 Ladex loans) $23,655
4/10/94 Fernando D. Rojas $6,599 $0
4/10/94 4/20/94 Castro hosts a conference in Havana, to which he
invited 204 Cubans from as far away as Angola and Jordan as well as the
United States. Cuban-Americans from moderate, pro-dialogue groups
were invited. (***CITE***)
4/21/94 Jorge Mas Canosa broadcasts a 15-minute statement outlining his
group's plans to form a transitional government composed of both exiles
and Cubans, and to move quickly to convert the country's Communist
system into a market economy. (NYT, 4/23/94; Times Picayune,
5/3/94).
4/24/94 Hyatt vies for a 900 room hotel on Miami beach. Hyatt's
team includes Jorge L. Mas-Canosa, a Cuban exile who is head of the Mas
Group of Companies, which includes a construction firm. (Chicago
Tribune 4/24/94)
4/26/94 Castro releases a video tape filmed at the reception of his
Havana conference which is aired on both local English and Spanish news
broadcasts in Miami. The video, in which Montiel Davis kisses
Castro's cheek, leads to criticism and threats directed at the
conference's attendees. (Times Picayune 5/3/94)
4/26/94 Former Rep. Smith (D-Fl) gave $1,000 to Torricelli - just days
after Smith had filed as a lobbyist for the Cuban American National
Foundation, chaired by the controversial Jorge Mas Canosa, who counts
Torricelli among his staunchest allies in Congress. Smith retired
in 1992 under a legal cloud and spent three months last year in a
federal prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts. The
Kamber Group(TKG) heralded Smith's hiring as a "senior consultant." The
statement touted Smith's service on the Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, and
Appropriations Committees, as a Deputy Whip, and as a vice chair of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. (Roll Call, 7/25/94)
5/31/94 Kyl, Jon 1000 Free Cuba PAC
6/2/94 Cubans occupying the Belgian Embassy in Havana said they would
not negotiate with their government, declaring themselves members of
the political opposition and standing by their decision to leave the
country with diplomatic assistance. According to the documents,
there are 124 people who entered the residence on May 28 in an action
which was planned "by several leaders of opposition and human rights
groups." However, of all of the names signed under the title
"Union of Cubans for Freedom," none is an individual known to
participate in opposition activity. The aspiring émigrés
sent messages to Cuban-American U.S. Congress members Ileana Ross and
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and Jorge Mas Canosa, president of the anti-Castro
Cuban-American National Foundation, based in Miami.(IPS 7/2/94)
6/7/94 Berman, Howard 1000 Free Cuba PAC Kolbe, James 500 Free Cuba PAC Young, C. W. Bill 1000 Free Cuba PAC
6/9/94 Jude Wanniski, an economic adviser to President Reagan and now a
close adviser to Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, comes under criticism
for traveling to Cuba to advise Cuban leaders on "a successful
transition to a market economy." Wanniski's trip infuriates some Cuban
Americans, including Reps. Ileana Ross-Lehtinen and Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, both Florida Republicans born in Havana. Dole sits
down with Jorge Mas Canosa to discuss Cuban-American concerns
about the Wanniski trip. (WT, 6/10/94)
6/10/94 Rep. John Conyers, chair of the House Subcommittee on
Governmental Operations, announces that alleged irregularities at Radio
Marti, particularly political bias, chronyism in hiring and employee
harassment, will be examined in an in-depth investigation.
Conyers tells USIA Director Joseph Duffey that he intends to
investigate the accusations. He also expresses his concern over
the lack of official USIA reports on the influence Mas Canosa yields
over the radio station, although the allegations have already
been given wide coverage by the press. (IPS, 6/10/94; WP, 6/10/94)
6/18/94 Foley, Mark 1000 Free Cuba PAC
7/1/94 7/31/94 The Miami Herald reprints an interview with Jorge Mas
Canosa from the Spanish newspaper El Pais. Mas Canosa was asked
by El Pais whether he believed Americans would take over Cuba if Fidel
Castro fell. The Herald quoted Mas Canosa as saying, in
part, "They haven't even been able to take over Miami! If we have
kicked them out of here, how could they possibly take over our own
country?" (MH, 7/28/94; WP, 7/28/94)
7/1/94 7/31/94 In a recent survey of Cuban-born people living in the
United States, 77% had a positive opinion of Jorge Mas Canosa.
(The Plain Dealer, 7/20/94)
7/10/94 Lawrence J. Smith $6,500 $461
7/10/94 Cuban American Foundation, Inc. $23,000 $35,153
7/10/94 Fernando D. Rojas $6,530 $0
7/20/94 Legendary PR man Robert Keith Gray has closed up shop in
Washington. Gray and Co. II, formed in 1992, will operate
exclusively out of its Miami base, where chief clients include the
Cuban-American National Foundation, the conservative anti-Castro group
run by Jorge Mas Canosa. Gray has other connections to Mas Canosa: He
represents MasTec, a telecommunications firm that Mas Canosa acquired
earlier this year. He is handling some PR for LandAir, a
Tennessee-based trucking company on whose board he and Mas Canosa
serve. And one of the four consultants assisting Gray and Co. II is
Tony Navarro, who used to head Radio Marti, a broadcast service aimed
at Cuba that Mas Canosa's group has strongly supported. (WT 7/20/94;
National Journal 7/16/94)
7/20/94 The Washington Times reports that legendary PR man Robert Keith
Gray has closed up shop in Washington. Gray and Co. II, formed in
1992, will operate exclusively out of its Miami base, where chief
clients include the Cuban American National Foundation. Gray has
other connections to Mas Canosa: he represents MasTec, a
telecommunications firm that Mas Canosa acquired earlier this
year. He is also handling some PR for LandAir, a Tennessee-based
trucking company on whose board he and Mas Canosa serve. One of
the four consultants assisting Gray and Co. II is Tony Navarro, who
formerly Director of Cuba Broadcasting at USIA. (WT, 7/20/94;
National Journal, 7/16/94)
7/28/94 Rep. Bob Torricelli (D-NJ) said this week he will give a $1,000
contribution from Smith to charity. Torricelli, a high-ranking member
of the Foreign Affairs Committee and staunch opponent of the Castro
regime in Cuba, received the Smith contribution days after Smith
registered as a lobbyist for the Cuban American Foundation, headed by
Castro foe Jorge Mas Canosa. (Roll Call, 7/28/94)
7/28/94 An advertisement from Cuban American National Foundation
accuses the Miami Herald and its publisher, David Lawrence, of
allegedly attacking the foundation and its chairman, Jorge Mas Canosa.
Viewpoints article by Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence Jr.
responds to July 28 advertisement from Cuban American National
Foundation containing strong statements against Herald and
himself; defends paper's coverage of interview in Spanish newspaper El
Pais in which Mas Canosa disparaged Americans, which he has not yet
denied; defends Herald's handling of matter. (MH 7/28/94)
8/1/94 The new Broadcasting Board of Governors, created during
consolidation of U.S. government civilian international broadcasting,
will replace the old Board for International Broadcasting. The
Washington Post reports that the new nine-member board -- four
Democrats, four Republicans and USIA Director Joseph Duffey -- may
include AFL-CIO Chairman Lane Kirkland, outgoing House Minority Leader
Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.), author Betty Bao Lord, Oklahoma Gazette
editor Pam Fleishacker and Jorge Mas Canosa. (WP, 8/1/94)
8/6/94 Fidel Castro reacts to the largest anti-government riots
in 35 years by threatening to open his ports. In a radio
address, Castro blames the United States for the recent rash of ship
hijackings and threatens to throw open his ports unless the United
States stops encouraging refugees to flee illegally. "Either they (the
U.S.) take serious measures to guard their coasts, or we will stop
putting obstacles in the way of people who want to leave the
country." In Miami, City Manager Cesar Odio goes on the radio
minutes after Castro's speech and warns Cuban-Americans against sailing
to Havana to pick up relatives. The Cuban American National
Foundation echoes Odio's call for calm. "Let's not dance to Castro's
tune," says Jorge Mas Canosa, who urges Cubans on the island to keep
pressuring Castro with more demonstrations. (Orlando Sentinel,
8/6/94)
8/7/94 "The United States has stated repeatedly that we will not permit
Fidel Castro to dictate our immigration policy or to create a replay of
the Mariel boat lift, a cynical move on the part of Castro in 1980,"
the State Department says. Meanwhile, Jorge Mas Canosa argues
that "The solution to the Cuban crisis is not the migration of
thousands of Cubans, but the removal of one man--Fidel Castro." (St.
Petersburg Times, 8/7/94; WP, 8/7/94)
8/9/94 In Miami, Gov. Lawton Chiles says Florida is ready for
another wave of Cuban refugees but expresses confidence that the Cuban
exile community here is discouraging a mass exodus. A group of
exile leaders holds a news conference in Miami to publicize their
desire to avoid another exodus. "This is a political issue -- the
need for freedom and human rights for the Cuban people -- not an
immigration issue," states Jorge Mas Canosa. (Orlando
Sentinel, 8/9/94; Reuters, 8/10/94)
8/11/94 A New York Times editorial argues that "America's Cuban policy
has been frozen in the past, kept there by Presidents pandering to the
most fanatical faction of the exile community in Florida." (NYT,
8/11/94)
8/11/94 In the first sign of a crackdown on smuggling of Cuban
refugees, authorities in Florida seize a speedboat carrying 20 Cuban
refugees. "If federal law enforcement officers find probable
cause to believe a vessel is being used in an attempt to bring
undocumented migrants to the US in violation of US law, the vessel will
be seized," Attorney General Janet Reno states. The position is
endorsed by Jorge Mas Canosa: "It is in the best interest of the
Cuban community." (Agence France Press, 8/12/94)
8/16/94 "Someone with experience in broadcasting should be considered
for a seat on the board of governors that will oversee
international broadcasting under USIA umbrella," National Association
of Broadcasters President Edward Fritts says in a letter to USIA
Director Joseph Duffey. The letter cites a Washington Post
article listing candidates for the board including Jorge Mas
Canosa. Fritts calls each board candidate "distinguished" but
says "none of their experience translates into an ability to oversee
broadcasting operations ... I am simply dumbfounded that the
Administration would intentionally exclude potential nominees with
broadcasting experience." (Communications Daily, 8/16/94)
8/19/94 The Clinton Administration announces a new Cuban immigration
policy. Cuban boat people will be picked up by the Coast Guard
and taken to Guantanamo Bay instead of being allowed to become U.S.
residents under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act. (WP, 8/19/94)
8/19/94 At the urging of White House aides, Florida Governor Lawton
Chiles selects a group of individuals from Miami to travel to the White
House and brief President Clinton on their recommendations for the
Cuban situation. The group, which travels to Washington aboard
Jorge Mas Canosa's private jet, includes Mas Canosa, Governor Chiles,
Miami Metro Commission Chairman Arthur Teele, City Manager Cesar Odio,
Democratic lobbyist Maria Elena Torano, and Luis Lauredo, Director of
the upcoming Hemispheric Summit. The group decides to recommend
that the U.S. bar private transfers of dollars to Cuba, sharply reduce
charter flights to the island, increase radio and TV broadcasting
directed Cuba, and impose a naval blockade. President Clinton
meets with the group for 75 minutes, along with Vice President Gore,
Attorney General Reno, and deputy National Security Council advisor
Sandy Berger. Mas Canosa argues for a U.S. "stranglehold" on
Cuba. Though Clinton rejects an immediate U.S. blockade, he says
that the option is "on the table." The President agrees to
severely cut the legal amount for remittances sent by exiles in the
U.S. to their relatives in Cuba. He also plans to limit charter
flights to Cuba and increase U.S. broadcasting over Radio and TV
Marti. (MH, 8/24/94; UPI, 8/19/94)
8/20/94 During a press conference held to announce new U.S.
measures against Cuba, President Clinton is asked "What do you say to
Cuban-Americans, especially in Florida, who feel betrayed by this
change in policy?" He states "I believe that most Cuban-Americans
that I know, without regard to their party, supported the Cuban
Democracy Act, and they remember how awful it was for the United States
when the Mariel boat lift occurred." (NYT, 8/20/94) Jorge
Mas Canosa states that "I don't think the Cuban people are going to be
deprived of anything by stopping those remittances." However,
Ramon Mestre, a Cuban American columnist at the Miami Herald, argues
that "For the 50,000 or 100,000 Cuban Americans who regularly send
remittance, I can't imagine that they are pleased with this new
policy." (WP, 8/24/94)
8/21/94 Mas Canosa reports that as a result of the Cuban immigration
crisis, the Clinton Administration has decided to restore funding for
the Exodus program, and that it might be used to resettle the Cubans at
Guantanamo. Clara Maria del Valle, a CANF director who works with
Exodus, states the program can get underway as soon as the INS and
State Department choose cites in developing countries to interview
Cubans. (MH, 9/5/94)
8/21/94 White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, appearing on ABC-TV's
"This Week With David Brinkley," states that a naval blockade of Cuba
is one of the options being considered by the Clinton
administration. Jorge Mas Canosa states that Panetta's comment is
"probably the most important news about Cuba in the last few
years." He adds that "I think this shows that the administration
really means business regarding Castro, and they have finally
turned this into what it was from the beginning: a political crisis,
not an immigration crisis." White House officials, however, state
that there is currently no plan to impose a blockade against
Cuba. (WT, 8/22/94)
8/25/94 In an interview with the New York Times, Jorge Mas Canosa
comments on President Clinton's recent shift in policy toward
Cuba: "He's a man who stands for democracy and freedom.
What the President did has nothing to do with politics; it came out of
his own convictions. He took the initiative on a policy based on
principle." When asked about a possible U.S. blockade of Cuba,
Mas Canosa states that "It's a very viable option that I think the
President has close to his heart. He gave us all encouragement
and it is being seriously considered. But first we must see how
the new restrictions on travel and cash transfers works out."
(NYT, 8/26/94) Representatives of the Clinton administration
conduct meetings in Miami with prominent Cuban-Americans and local
officials. The U.S officials present include Raymundo Ruga,
director of the Defense Department's Cuba task force, and Richard
Nuccio, senior policy advisor to the assistant secretary of state for
inter-American affairs. The government delegation consults with
elected officials, Cuban-American leaders of the Democratic party,
civic groups, and the Governor's Commission for a Free Cuba. Jeff
Eller, a White House spokesman, later reports that no one advocating
dialogue with Cuba participated in the sessions with Clinton
administration officials. (MH, 8/26/94, NYT 8/31/94)
9/2/94 Richard Nuccio, a senior policy advisor at the State
Department's bureau of inter-American affairs, visits Miami, saying the
Clinton Administration is reviewing restarting the Exodus
program. Stating that, "It has not been approved, but it's under
review," Nuccio would not comment whether the program would be used to
bring refugees at Guantanamo to the US. He stated that the
Administration policy "is not to process any of the Cubans in
Guantanamo for entry into the United States." (MH, 9/5/94)
9/5/94 Time suggests that Jorge Mas Canosa's influence in the exile
community is waning: "Increasingly, Mr. Mas Canosa's right to speak on
behalf of Cuban Americans is being challenged. Francisco Aruca,
who ran shuttle flights to Havana, says the exiles used to have the
appearance of homogeneity, always backing the conservative right.
Now, he believes, 'a lot of Cuban Americans are questioning not only
Clinton's policy but are getting mad at the leadership of the community
that is linked with that policy.'" (Time, 9/5/94)
9/25/94 In an interview published in the Orlando Sentinel Tribune,
Jorge Mas Canosa is asked "What do you say to critics who say the dread
of exiles returning to Cuba gives Castro his strength? " He
answers, "You know something? The only way I would accept
becoming a politician is if I could have a crack at that son of a bitch
in an election. Then I could prove everyone wrong. I am
certain that the exile community is much more popular than
Castro. We interview a lot of Cubans, and it's amazing. You
ask a child what he wants to be when he grows up, and he says, 'An
exile.'" (Orlando Sentinel Tribune, 9/25/94)
10/10/94 Jorge Mas Canosa, a prominent Cuban-American contractor, wants
to run PCS systems across the US but will probably focus "on licenses
in the Sunbelt region such as Texas, Arizona, and
California." He plans to bid through his MasTec Inc., a
construction company that lays phone cables and erects phone poles.
(Business Week, 10/10/94)
10/10/94 Church & Tower of El Salvador, a subsidiary of Miami's
MasTec Inc, has been awarded a $1.5 million contract to build 35,000
telephone lines in San Salvador, the company said Thursday. The
18- month project will include installing main trunks and laying
conduit. (MH 10/14/94)
part 1...Broadcasting to Cuba 1960-1990
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