Background Notes For Cuba
U.S. Department of State
Background Notes: Cuba, April 1998
Released by the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs.
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Cuba
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 110,860 sq. km. (44,200 sq. mi.); about the size of Pennsylvania.
Cities: Capital--Havana (pop. 2 million). Other major
cities--Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Santa Clara, Holguin,
Guantanamo, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio.
Terrain: Flat or gently rolling plains, hills, mountains up to
2,000 meters (6,000 ft.) in the southeast.
Climate: Tropical, moderated by trade winds; dry season (November-April);
rainy season (May-October).
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Cuban(s).
Population: 11 million; 70% urban, 30% rural.
Avg. annual growth rate: 0.41%.
Ethnic groups: Spanish-African mixture.
Language: Spanish.
Education: Years compulsory-6. Attendance--92% (ages
6-16). Literacy--95%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--7.2/1,000. Life expectancy--78
yrs. for women, 73 yrs. for men.
Work force (4.5 million): Government and services--30%.
Industry--22%. Agriculture--20%. Commerce--11%.
Construction--11%. Transportation and communications--6%.
Government
Type: Communist state; current government assumed power January
1, 1959.
Independence: May 20, 1902.
Constitution: February 24, 1976.
Branches: Executive--president, council of ministers. Legislative--National
Assembly of People's Government. Judicial--People's Supreme
Court.
Political party: Cuban Communist Party (PCC).
Suffrage: All citizens age 16 and older, except those who have
applied for permanent emigration. National Assembly elections
were held in 1998.
Administrative subdivisions: 14 provinces, including the city
of Havana, and one special municipality (Isle of Youth).
Economy
GDP (1997 est.): Purchasing power parity $16.9 billion.
Real annual growth rate (1997): 2.5%.
Per capita income: $1,540.
Natural resources: Nickel, cobalt, iron ore, copper, manganese,
salt, timber.
Agriculture: Products--sugar, citrus and tropical fruits,
tobacco, coffee, rice, beans, meat, and vegetables.
Industry: Types--sugar and food processing, oil refining,
cement, electric power, light consumer and industrial products.
Trade: Exports--$1.9 billion (FOB, 1997 est.): Sugar and
its by-products, nickel, seafood, citrus, tobacco products, rum.
Major markets--Russia 25%, Canada 15%, Netherlands 11%.
Imports--$3.3 billion (CIF, 1997 est.): petroleum, food,
machinery, chemicals. Major suppliers--Spain 14%, Russia
12%, Mexico 9%.
Official exchange rate: 1 Cuban peso=U.S.$1 (official rate). 23
Cuban pesos=U.S.$1 (internal exchange rate).
PEOPLE
Cuba is a multiracial society with a population of mainly Spanish
and African origins. The largest organized religion is the Roman
Catholic Church. Santeria, a blend of native African religions
and Roman Catholicism, is the most widely practiced religion in
Cuba. Officially, Cuba has been an atheist state for most of the
Castro era. However, a constitutional amendment adopted on July
12, 1992 changed the nature of the Cuban state from atheist to
secular, enabling religious believers to belong to the Cuban Communist
Party (PCC).
HISTORY
Spanish settlers established sugar cane and tobacco as Cuba's
primary products. As the native Indian population died out, African
slaves were imported to work the plantations. Slavery was abolished
in 1886.
Cuba was the last major Spanish colony to gain independence, following
a 50-year struggle begun in 1850. The final push for independence
began in 1895, when Jose Marti, Cuba's national hero, announced
the "Grito de Baire" ("Call to arms from Baire").
In 1898, after the USS Maine sunk in Havana Harbor on February
15 due to an explosion of undetermined origin, the United States
entered the conflict. In December of that year Spain relinquished
control of Cuba to the United States with the Treaty of Paris.
On May 20, 1902, the United States granted Cuba its independence,
but retained the right to intervene to preserve Cuban independence
and stability under the Platt Amendment. In 1934, the amendment
was repealed and the United States and Cuba reaffirmed the 1903
agreement which leased the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the United
States. The treaty remains in force and can only be terminated
by mutual agreement or abandonment by the United States.
Until 1959, Cuba was often ruled by military figures, who either
obtained or remained in power by force. Fulgencio Batista, an
army sergeant who established himself as Cuba's dominant leader
for more than 25 years, fled on January 1, 1959, as Castro's "26th
of July Movement" gained control. Castro had established
the movement in Mexico, where he was exiled after the failed July
26, 1953, attack on the Moncada army barracks at Santiago de Cuba.
Within months of taking power, Castro moved to consolidate his
power by imprisoning or executing opponents. Hundreds of thousands
of Cubans fled the island.
Castro declared Cuba a socialist state on April 16, 1961. For
the next 30 years, Castro pursued close relations with the Soviet
Union until the advent of perestroika and the subsequent
demise of the U.S.S.R. During that time Cuba received substantial
economic and military assistance from the U.S.S.R.--generally
estimated at $5.6 billion annually--which kept its economy afloat
and enabled it to maintain an enormous military establishment.
In 1962, Cuban-Soviet ties led to a direct confrontation between
the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of
nuclear-equipped missiles in Cuba, resolved only when the U.S.S.R.
agreed to withdraw the missiles and other offensive weapons. Soviet
subsidies ended in 1991 with the end of the Soviet Union. Former
Soviet military personnel in Cuba--numbering around 15,000 in
1990--were withdrawn by 1993.
Russia still maintains a signal intelligence-gathering facility
at Lourdes and has provided funding to preserve the still uncompleted
thermonuclear plant at Juragua.
GOVERNMENT
Cuba is a totalitarian state controlled by President Fidel Castro,
who is Chief of State, Head of Government, First Secretary of
the Communist Party (PCC), and commander in chief of the armed
forces. Castro exercises control over all aspects of Cuban life
through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations,
the government bureaucracy, and the state security apparatus.
The Ministry of Interior is the principal organ of state security
and control. In addition to the routine law enforcement functions
of regulating migration, controlling the Border Guard and the
regular police forces, the Ministry's Department of State Security
investigates and actively suppresses organized opposition and
dissent.
From January 1959 until December 1976, Castro ruled by decree.
The 1976 constitution, extensively revised in 1992, enshrines
the PCC as "the highest leading force of the society and
state." In addition to Fidel Castro and his brother Raul
Castro, the center of party power is the 24-member Politburo.
There are 149 members in the Central Committee.
Executive and administrative power is vested in the Council of
State and the subordinate Council of Ministers, over which Fidel
Castro presides, supported by six vice presidents. Legislative
authority rests with the National Assembly of People's Power,
which meets annually for about five days, and is state-controlled.
When not in session, the Assembly is represented by the Council
of State. Fidel Castro is president of the Council of State, and
his brother, Raul Castro, is first vice president, which places
him first in the line of succession. Raul Castro is also the Minister
of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The Communist Party is constitutionally recognized as Cuba's only
legal political party. The party's Politburo and Central Committee
together include most of the country's military and civilian leaders.
The party monopolizes all government positions, including judicial
offices. Though not a formal requirement, party membership is
a de facto prerequisite for high-level official positions and
professional advancement in most areas, although non-party members
are sometimes allowed to serve in the National Assembly.
In 1992, the National Assembly amended the 1976 constitution,
abolishing references to the former Soviet bloc, outlawing discrimination
for religious beliefs, permitting foreign investment, giving Fidel
Castro new emergency powers, and allowing direct elections to
the National Assembly of candidates approved by "mass organizations"
controlled by the Communist Party.
Although the constitution grants limited rights of assembly and
association, these rights are subject to the requirement that
they may not be "exercised against … the existence and
objectives of the socialist State." The government denies
citizens the freedom of association. The Penal Code specifically
outlaws "illegal or unrecognized groups." Cubans do
not have the right to change their government, to freedom of expression,
or freedom to travel to and from Cuba without restriction. The
government and party control all electronic and print media. Since
1992, the Cuban Government has eased the harsher aspects of its
repression of religious freedom. In preparation for the visit
of Pope John Paul II in January 1998, the government further relaxed
its restrictions on religion, especially toward the Roman Catholic
Church.
Although the constitution theoretically provides for independent
courts, it explicitly subordinates them to the National Assembly
and to the Council of State. The People's Supreme Court is the
highest judicial body. Due process is routinely denied to Cuban
citizens, especially in cases involving political offenses. The
constitution states that all legally recognized civil liberties
can be denied to anyone who opposes the "decision of the
Cuban people to build socialism."
The Cuban Government's human rights record is abysmal. It systematically
violates fundamental civil and political rights of its citizens.
The government uses incessant harassment in the form of detention,
threat of long-term imprisonment, exile, physical injury, and
search and seizure of private property to intimidate pro-democracy
and human rights activists. There are hundreds of political prisoners.
Since 1994, when it invited the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights to visit, the Cuban Government has refused permission for
international human rights monitors, including the UN Special
Rapporteur for Human Rights, to visit Cuba.
National Security
Under Castro, Cuba became a highly militarized society. From 1975
until the late 1980s, massive Soviet military assistance enabled
Cuba to upgrade its military capabilities and project power abroad.
The tonnage of Soviet military deliveries to Cuba throughout most
of the 1980s exceeded deliveries in any year since the military
build-up during the 1962 missile crisis. In 1990, Cuba's air force,
with about 150 Soviet-supplied fighters, including advanced MiG-23
Floggers and MiG-29 Fulcrums, was probably the best equipped in
Latin America. In 1994, Cuba's armed forces were estimated to
have 235,000 active duty personnel.
Cuban military power has been sharply reduced by the loss of Soviet
subsidies. Lack of fuel has resulted in reduced training and military
exercises. Lack of spare parts and new material has resulted in
the mothballing of planes, tanks, and other military equipment.
Today, the Revolutionary Armed Forces number about 60,000 regular
troops. The country's two paramilitary organizations, the Territorial
Militia Troops and the Youth Labor Army, have a reduced training
capability. Cuba also adopted a "war of the people"
strategy that highlights the defensive nature of its capabilities.
The government has, however, maintained a large state security
apparatus, under the Ministry of Interior, to repress dissent
within Cuba.
Principal Government Officials
President, Council of State and Council of Ministers, First Secretary
of the Communist Party, and Commander in Chief--Fidel Castro
First Vice President, Council of State and Council of Ministers,
Second Secretary of the Communist Party, General of the Army and
Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR)--Raul Castro
Minister of Foreign Relations--Roberto Robaina
Ambassador to the United Nations--Bruno Rodriguez
ECONOMY
Under the slogan "Socialism or Death," the Cuban Government
continues to proclaim Cuba a socialist or communist nation with
an economy organized under Marxist-Leninist precepts. Most means
of production are owned and run by the government. About 75% of
the labor force is employed directly by the state.
Responsibility for running the economy and for economic policy
rests with the Council of State, although the government has devolved
some authority to ministries and enterprises in recent years.
Minimal public services are provided by the state, either free
of charge or for nominal fees. Access to education generally is
adequate, but urban housing and medical facilities have deteriorated,
as has transportation.
In 1997, the Cuban Government created the Cuban Central Bank to
play a role in monetary policy similar to that of a central bank
in a market economy. The National Bank of Cuba continued as a
commercial bank, and the Cuban Government is creating additional
commercial banks. Some foreign banks have begun limited operations
in Cuba.
The major sectors of the Cuban economy are tourism, nickel mining,
and agriculture, especially sugar and tobacco. Sugar, long the
mainstay of the Cuban economy, was surpassed by tourism in the
late 1990s as the main source of foreign exchange. Remittances
from abroad, estimated at $500 - 800 million annually, are a major
source of income in Cuba, and help sustain many families. An estimated
40% of the population have access to dollars. The Cuban Government
stopped producing its annual statistical survey on the Cuban economy
in 1990.
The Cuban Government defaulted on most of its international debt
in 1986, and remains outside of international financial institutions
such as the World Bank. To finance imports, the government relies
heavily on short-term loans. Because of its poor credit rating,
an $11 billion hard currency debt, and the risks associated with
Cuban investment, interest rates have reportedly been as high
as 22%.
The Cuban economy suffered a 35% decline in gross domestic product
between 1989 and 1993 because of the loss of Soviet subsidies.
In October 1990, Castro announced that Cuba had entered a "special
period in time of peace" and that the economy would function
as if in time of war until the crisis had passed. Most goods are
now rationed, and many previously imported from the Soviet Union
simply have disappeared.
Economic growth resumed in the mid-1990s after the Cuban Government
launched a concerted program to attract foreign tourism and investment.
The Cuban Government estimated growth in 1997 at 2.5%. Estimated
per capita income in 1997 was $1,540. Living conditions in 1998
are well below the 1990 level.
To deal with the severe shortages brought on by the end of Soviet
subsidies and the failure of socialist economic policies, the
Cuban Government in the mid-1990s permitted Cubans to offer certain
services privately under strict government regulation and scrutiny.
It appears that employment in this sector peaked in 1996 at around
206,000 and fell in 1997 to about 170,000. In 1997, the Cuban
Government introduced heavy taxes on this sector which forced
many out of business. In 1994, the government introduced agricultural
markets at which state and private farmers could sell at market
prices what they have produced above the quota required by the
state. This has helped to alleviate grave food shortages and nutritional
problems.
A popular example of this kind of venture has been small restaurants
in private homes, known as "paladares." These seek to
serve international visitors, but are subject to rules limiting
employment of anyone outside of the owner's immediate family and
forbidding sales of lobster or shrimp. Such rules are frequently
violated, but restaurants and other entities are often closed
for minor infractions.
While continuing to limit private investment by Cuban citizens,
the Cuban Government is actively courting international investment.
It has attracted investment from Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom,
Mexico, Spain, France, and other countries. Foreign entities cannot
own 100% of the equity of an investment, and must include a Cuban
Government entity as a majority partner in the venture. Estimates
of the amount of international investment paid in vary widely,
but it is thought to be between $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion since
1990.
Cuban officials said early in 1998, there were a total of 332
joint ventures. Many of these are loans or contracts for management,
supplies or services, normally not considered equity investment
in Western economies. Nevertheless, Cuban officials said in early
1998, that they intend to be more selective in the investment
they permit in Cuba. Investors are constrained by the U.S. Cuban
Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (also known as the Libertad
or Helms-Burton Act) which provides for sanctions for those who
"traffic" in property expropriated from U.S. citizens.
As of March 1998, 15 executives of three foreign companies have
been excluded from entry into the U.S. Over a dozen companies
had pulled out of Cuba or altered their plans to invest there
due to the threat of action under the Libertad Act.
Tourism, a top Cuban official said, is the "heart of the
economy." The Cuban Government is stressing its beaches and
has actively encouraged sex tourism to attract Europeans, Canadians,
and Latin Americans. Cuban officials expect 1.4 million tourists
in 1998, an increase of 20% over 1997. The Cuban Government forecasts
1998 gross revenue from tourism as $1.8 billion.
In 1993, the Cuban Government made it legal for its people to
possess and use the U.S. dollar. Since then, the dollar has become
the major currency in use. Many businesses, including many run
by the Cuban Government, and individuals do not accept Cuban pesos.
Those with access to dollars can purchase imported goods at government-run
dollar stores that are not accessible to average Cubans with pesos
who must shop in understocked peso stores. Thus, those jobs that
can earn dollar tips from foreign tourists and business travelers
have become highly desirable. It is not uncommon to meet skilled
doctors, teachers, engineers, and scientists working in restaurants
or as taxi drivers.
Sugar remains an important part of the Cuban economy, with large
amounts of land, labor, and other resources dedicated to its production.
Sugar production in 1989 was over 8 million tons, but fell to
about 3.5 million tons in the 1994-1995 sugar harvest, one of
the worst on record. With increased fertilizers and management
attention, the 1995-1996 harvest improved, according to official
Cuban estimates, to about 4.4 million tons. Cuba was unable to
sustain this level of output, however, and the 1996-1997 harvest
declined. The threat of U.S. actions against those who finance
the sugar harvest--where there are extensive numbers of confiscated
properties--had a major impact on the 1996-97 harvest. Prospects
for future harvests are considered poor unless the Cuban Government
undertakes substantial reform of the sugar industry, something
it has not been willing to do.
Cuba is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
It signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco, a Latin American regional
non-proliferation regime, but has not ratified the treaty and
brought it into force. Cuba has entered into an agreement with
the IAEA to apply safeguards to individual nuclear facilities,
including the partially completed Juragua nuclear power plant.
The reactors that would be installed are of the VVER-400 type,
an advanced model of the Soviet pressurized water reactor. There
are serious concerns about the safety of the plant. However, since
the plant does not appear to be economically viable, no international
investors have been willing to provide funds for completion of
the facility.
Cuban failure to launch serious economic reforms has led to the
development of a large black market and growing corruption.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Cuba's once-ambitious foreign policy has been scaled back and
redirected as a result of economic hardship and the end of the
Cold War.
Cuba aims to find new sources of trade, aid, and foreign investment,
and to promote opposition to U.S. policy, especially the trade
embargo and the 1996 Libertad Act. Cuba has relations with over
160 countries and has civilian assistance workers--principally
medical--in more than 20 nations.
Cuba has largely abandoned the support for guerrilla movements
that typified its involvement in regional politics in Latin America
and Africa. In 1959, Cuba aided armed expeditions against Panama,
the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. During the 1960s and 1970s
, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia faced Cuban-backed
guerrilla insurgencies. Although these movements failed to take
control of governments, they inflicted heavy loss of life and
economic damage in each of the countries. Cuba's support for Latin
guerrilla movements, its Marxist-Leninist government, and its
alignment with the U.S.S.R., contributed to its isolation in the
hemisphere. In January 1962, the Organization of American States
(OAS) suspended Cuba. Cuba now has diplomatic or commercial relations
with most countries in Latin American and the Caribbean.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Cuba expanded its military presence
abroad--deployments reached 50,000 troops in Angola, 24,000 in
Ethiopia, 1,500 in Nicaragua, and hundreds more elsewhere. In
Angola, Cuban troops, supported logistically by the U.S.S.R.,
backed the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA)
in its effort to take power after Portugal granted Angola its
independence. Cuban forces played a key role in Ethiopia's war
against Somalia, and remained there in substantial numbers as
a garrison force for a decade. Cubans served in a non-combat advisory
role in Mozambique and the Congo. Cuba also used the Congo as
a logistical support center for Cuba's Angola mission.
In the late 1980s, Cuba began to pull back militarily. Cuba unilaterally
removed its forces from Ethiopia; met the timetable of the 1988
Angola-Namibia accords by completing the withdrawal of its forces
from Angola before July 1991; and ended military assistance to
Nicaragua following the Sandinistas' 1990 electoral defeat. In
January 1992, following the peace agreement in El Salvador, Castro
stated that Cuban support for insurgents was a thing of the past.
U.S.-CUBAN RELATIONS
The United States recognized the new Cuban Government on January
7, 1959. However, bilateral relations deteriorated rapidly as
the regime expropriated U.S. properties and moved toward adoption
of a one-party Communist system. In response, the United States
began imposing economic sanctions in 1960, culminating with a
comprehensive economic embargo in 1962. The United States broke
diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961. Tensions between the
two governments peaked during the abortive "Bay of Pigs"
invasion by anti-Castro Cubans supported by the United States
on April 7, 1961, and the October 1962 missile crisis.
In 1975, U.S.-Cuban normalization talks ended when Cuba launched
a large-scale intervention in Angola. However, the U.S. and Cuba
established interests sections in their respective capitals on
September 1, 1977. Currently, the U.S. interests section in Havana
and the Cuban interests section in Washington, DC, are under the
protection of the Swiss embassy.
The deployment of Cuban troops to Ethiopia and the discovery of
Soviet troops in Cuba in 1979 led President Carter to establish
the Caribbean Joint Task Force Headquarters in Florida and warned
that Cuban troops would not be allowed to move against neighboring
countries.
In April 1980, 10,000 Cubans stormed the Peruvian embassy in Havana
seeking political asylum. Eventually, the Cuban Government allowed
125,000 Cubans to illegally take to boats to go to the United
States from the port of Mariel, or the "Mariel boatlift."
Quiet efforts to explore the prospects for improving relations
were initiated by the United States in 1981-82, but ceased as
Cuba continued to intervene in the Latin region. In 1983, the
United States and regional allies liberated Grenada, forcing the
withdrawal of Cuban forces stationed there.
In 1984, the United States and Cuba negotiated an agreement to
resume normal immigration, interrupted in the wake of the 1980
Mariel boatlift, and to return to Cuba persons who had arrived
during the boatlift who were "excludable" under U.S.
law. Cuba suspended this agreement in May 1985 following the U.S.
initiation of Radio Marti broadcasts to Cuba, but it was reinstated
in November 1987. In March 1990, TV Marti transmissions began
to Cuba. Since its inception, Cuba has jammed TV Marti and blocked
Radio Marti on the AM band. Radio Marti on short wave has a large
audience.
The principal U.S. concerns regarding Cuba are its undemocratic
system and lack of respect for human rights, and the potential
danger of future mass exoduses. The principal objective of U.S.
policy toward Cuba is to promote a peaceful transition to democracy
and respect for human rights. U.S. policy seeks to do this by
maintaining pressure on the Cuban Government; supporting the Cuban
people; forging a multilateral effort to press for democratic
change; and keeping migration in safe, legal, and orderly channels.
President Bush set free and fair elections under international
supervision, respect for human rights, and an end to efforts to
subvert its neighbors as the conditions for improving relations
with Cuba. In October 1992, the Cuban Democracy Act (CDA) was
enacted, codifying portions of the embargo and providing for measures
in support of the Cuban people and for improved telecommunications
with Cuba and sale of medicines. Other provisions ban most U.S.
subsidiary trade with Cuba and exclude any vessel which stops
in Cuba from entering U.S. ports for 180 days. It provides for
humanitarian donations by U.S. non-governmental organizations
to Cuba. Since its enactment, more than $2 billion worth of humanitarian
assistance for Cuba has been licensed, including $275 million
in medical items. Since 1992, 50 licenses have been issued for
sale of medicines or travel to Cuba by representatives of pharmaceutical
companies. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved
five U.S. carriers to provide direct telecommunications service
between the U.S. and Cuba.
In 1994, regular immigration talks were initiated between the
United States and Cuba, prompted by another mass exodus of Cubans
that summer. The two governments agreed in September 1994 to direct
Cuban migration into safe, legal, and orderly channels. The U.S.
committed itself to admit a minimum of 20,000 Cuban immigrants
each year, and Cuba pledged to discourage irregular and unsafe
departures. Under a May 1995 agreement, the United States began
returning Cubans interdicted at sea or entering the U.S. Naval
Base at Guantanamo Bay, and Cuba agreed to reintegrate the returnees
into Cuban society, with no action to be taken against the returned
migrants as a consequence of their attempt to immigrate illegally.
The U.S. Interests Section verifies Cuban compliance with that
provision through regular visits to the homes of returnees throughout
Cuba. Interdicted Cubans who can demonstrate a well-founded fear
of persecution in Cuba are resettled in third countries, rather
than returned to Cuba.
While the United States engaged in efforts to promote democratic
change, the development of an independent civil society, and support
for the Cuban people, in February 1996 the Cuban Government moved
aggressively against 140 groups of pro-democracy and human rights
activists who were seeking to hold a meeting under the auspices
of their umbrella organization "Concilio Cubano." The
Cuban Government never responded to Concilio's request to legally
hold a meeting, and in mid-February began an island-wide crackdown
against dissidents--arresting, interrogating, and harassing them.
On February 24, 1996, the day the meeting was to be held, the
Cuban Government ordered the shootdown of two unarmed civilian
aircraft in international airspace. Three U.S. citizens and one
legal permanent resident, all members of the Miami-based exile
organization Brothers to the Rescue, were killed when their planes
were shot down by Cuban MiGs.
On February 26, 1996, President Clinton ordered five punitive
measures in response to the shootdown. He suspended direct charter
flights to Cuba; sought to obtain international condemnation of
Cuba's actions; committed to reach agreement with Congress on
the pending Helms-Burton legislation; announced that some form
of justice was due to the families of the victims and ordered
that funds be transferred from the Cuban Government's blocked
accounts in the United States to the families; and set restrictions
on the movement of Cuban diplomats in the U.S.
On March 12, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Cuban
Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (also known as the Libertad
or Helms-Burton Act). The Libertad Act has four main parts:
- Title I codifies and tightens enforcement of the U.S. embargo;
- Title II states U.S. policy toward a transition or democratic
government in Cuba;
- Title III creates a cause of action and authorizes U.S. nationals
with claims to confiscated property in Cuba to file suit in U.S.
courts against persons "trafficking" in such property;
and
- Title IV requires the Executive Branch to deny visas to, and
exclude from the United States, foreign nationals determined to
have confiscated or "trafficked" in confiscated property,
claimed by a U.S. national.
In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the President suspended
the Title III lawsuit provisions because he determined suspension
to be necessary and in the national interest and that it will
expedite a transition to democracy in Cuba.
On March 20, 1998, President Clinton announced measures intended
to respond to the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba
in January and to support the Cuban people. The measures include:
resuming direct humanitarian charter cargo and passenger flights
to Cuba; reinstituting legal remittances by Cuban Americans and
Cuban families living in the United States to their close relatives
in Cuba at the level of $300 per quarter (such remittances were
suspended in August 1994 in response to the migration crisis);
simplifying and expediting the issuance of licenses for the sale
of medicines and medical supplies to Cuba. The President also
said he would work with Congress to develop bipartisan legislation
on the transfer of food and expansion of humanitarian assistance
to the Cuban people.
Support for the Cuban people has been a key element of U.S. policy
beginning with the CDA and strengthened by President Clinton's
initiatives in October 1995 to encourage groups in the U.S. to
develop contacts on the island. The 1995 initiatives included
licensing U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to assist
Cuban NGOs; allowing sales and donations of communications equipment
to Cuban NGOs; establishing news bureaus; increasing academic,
cultural, and educational exchanges; and allowing under a general
Treasury license once-a-year visits to relatives in Cuba in cases
of humanitarian emergencies.
The measures announced March 20 enhance this policy of support
for the Cuban people. They support the religious opening, expand
humanitarian assistance, and assist development of independent
civil society. The measures are in response to the Cuban people,
not to anything the Cuban Government has done. Hundreds of political
prisoners remain in Cuban jails, including the four leaders of
the Dissident Working Group. The U.S. Government has repeatedly
made clear, however, that it will consider responding reciprocally
if the Cuban Government initiates fundamental democratic change.
Interests Sections
Havana: U.S. Interests Section
Calzada between L and M, Vedado
(tel. (53) (7) 33-3551 through 33-3559).
Principal Officer--Michael Kozak
Deputy Principal Officer--John Boardman
Consul--Ronald Kramer
Public Affairs Adviser--Douglas Barnes
Washington, DC: Cuban Interests Section
2630 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202-797-8518).
Principal Officer--Fernando de Remirez
Deputy Principal Officer--Felix Wilson
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
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Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov
and the Consular Affairs Bulletin Board (CABB). To access
CABB, dial the modem number: (301-946-4400 (it will accommodate
up to 33,600 bps), set terminal communications program to N-8-1
(no parity, 8 bits, 1 stop bit); and terminal emulation to VT100.
The login is travel and the password is info (Note:
Lower case is required). The CABB also carries international security
information from the Overseas Security Advisory Council and Department's
Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Consular Affairs Trips for Travelers
publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports
and planning a safe trip abroad, can be purchased from the Superintendent
of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954,
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954; telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad
may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services
at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays,
call 202-647-4000.
Passport Services information can be obtained by calling
the 24-hour, 7-day a week automated system ($.35 per minute) or
live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per
minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major
credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668
(TDD: 1-888-498-3648).
Travelers can check the latest health information with
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta,
Georgia. A hotline at (404) 332-4559 gives the most recent health
advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and
advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries.
A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel
(HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency
and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest
to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from
a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country,
see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this
publication).
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous
areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival
in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials"
listing in this publication). Registering with the embassy may
help you to replace lost identity documents or help family members
contact you in case of an emergency.
Further Electronic Information:
Department of State Foreign Affairs Network. Available
on the Internet, DOSFAN provides timely, global access to official
U.S. foreign policy information. Updated daily, DOSFAN includes
Background Notes; Dispatch, the official magazine of U.S.
foreign policy; daily press briefings; Country Commercial Guides;
directories of key officers of foreign service posts; etc. DOSFAN's
World Wide Web site is at http://www.state.gov.
U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM (USFAC). Published on an
annual basis by the U.S. Department of State, USFAC archives information
on the Department of State Foreign Affairs Network, and includes
an array of official foreign policy information from 1990 to the
present. Contact the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. To
order, call (202) 512-1800 or fax (202) 512-2250.
National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). Operated by the U.S. Department
of Commerce, the NTDB contains a wealth of trade-related information,
including Country Commercial Guides. It is available on the Internet
(www.stat-usa.gov) and on
CD-ROM. Call the NTDB Help-Line at (202) 482-1986 for more information.
[end of document]
Cuba History
Before Columbus' voyage to Cuba, the island was inhabited by Indians. They survived mainly on agriculture and fishing.
The three tribes on the island were the Tainos, the Ciboneys, and the Guanajatabeyes.
It was the Taino Indians, a part of the race of Arawaks, who were most common on Cuba. They had come there during the 1400s from South America.
In Cuba, they lived in a peaceful society. They farmed such crops as corn, beans, squash, and yams. The Indians slept in hammocks, which the Spanish would share with the rest of the world after discovering them.
They had some religious beliefs. The Tainos would hold small gatherings and burn tobacco. They believed in life after death and a supernatural being.
The Indians wore no clothes, but they did know how to weave. They hunted for small game, including many birds and ducks. They fished with harpoons and nets, and kept the fish in small ponds until they were ready to eat them.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus and his ships arrived at the island. Their mission was to conquer the island, convert the natives, and make money for Spain.
Upon first seeing the Europeans, the Cuban Indians fled. Eventually Columbus' guides coaxed the Cubans into meeting the Spanish.
Columbus had to return, but left some men on the island. He would return with others to colonize Cuba and claim it for Spain.
During the first half of the 16th century, the Cuban natives were basically wiped out. They would be replaced by Spanish settlers in the coming years.
Many were murdered by Spanish troops, while others were enslaved in mines to search for gold. The conditions there were bad enough to kill most of them; indeed, by the mid 1500s, most of the native population had died.
Some Indians, led by Hatuey, fought against the Spanish. Their rebellions were ruthlessly put down, and Hatuey was captured and burned alive.
As a result, the Spanish began importing slaves. This started as early as 1512, and continued until 1865. Tens of thousands of slaves were brought from Africa and other places to replace the dead natives.
Though little gold was found in Cuba, much was found in the rest of Latin America. Cuba served as a stop-over point to these areas.
In 1607, Havana became Cuba's capital. A government was formed, and municipalities were established. The island became quite prosperous from its position as a Spanish hub and its sugar production.
However, the island was plagued by piracy. Pirates would capture ships headed to Cuba or raid cities. No city was safe, and this caused many problems.
The Spanish Government wanted to profit from Cuba as much as possible. In the end of the 17th century, piracy became less common and things developed more easily.
The Spanish Crown completely owned the tobacco industry, which prompted a rebellion from tobacco growers. Spain put this down, and set up a company to control all Cuban trade.
In 1762, the English took Havana. They allowed trade with the rest of the world. Slave imports and prosperity for Cuba both increased greatly.
The English traded Cuba for Florida to the Spanish. The Spanish were then pressured to allow free trade, and the country remained wealthy.
Sugar became more important. It beat tobacco as the most important crop, and the Revolution in Haiti brought an end to competition with that nation.
Havana grew with Cuba's prosperity. It became a huge city for the times, and in 1728, gained a university. A postal service was created in 1764 and a newspaper in 1763. In 1790, the city gained lamps in the streets.
The major difference between Cuba and other Spanish colonies during this time was that Cuba's economic production largely remained on the island and was put towards developing it, rather than being returned to Spain.
During the 19th century, Cuban prosperity rose. Fierce opposition to the colonialist Spanish, who always wanted a piece of the peoples' profits, ultimately resulted in Cuba's freedom.
In 1818, the Spanish officially allowed free trade with Cuba. A year earlier, the Spanish and British had agreed to end slavery.
However, during the 1820s, half a million slaves were brought to Cuba. The slave traders easily bribed the local officials. It wasn't until 1888 that the Cubans abolished slavery.
Cuba was one of the last countries in the New World to still be a Spanish colony. Many Cubans were beginning to feel separate from Spain, and some pressed for Cuban independence.
Spain also mistreated the populace. The Cubans were denied the rights that Spanish people had, and the Spanish Government insisted on maintaining full power.
On October 10, 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes began the 10 Years' War. It went poorly for the Spanish, but they tricked the Cubans into accepting peace.
Spain returned to its old ways in Cuba. An economic crisis brought on by the war allowed American companies to purchase huge amounts of land there.
The next War of Independence came in 1895. Important leaders like José Martí and Antonio Maceo were killed, but the Cuban rebels fought on. The war went terribly for Spain, and no end was in sight.
In 1898, the United States launched a war on Spain. It quickly won, and took Cuba as one of the spoils of its victory. Throughout the century the United States had from time to time often tried to buy Cuba, and now it finally had it.
The 20th century brought great change to Cuba. During the first part of the century, American influence was extremely high. It ended with the Revolution of 1959.
During the first few years of the 1900s, an American military government ruled Cuba. It was headed by Leonard Wood, and would remain in power until 1902, when a Cuban Government replaced it.
For many years, the Cuban parties often fought and cheated their way into office. Once there, they would commonly enrich themselves, robbing millions of dollars from the treasury.
American companies also prospered during this period. US companies owned 75% of the sugar industry and 60% of Cuba's land. The wealthy Cuban elite became even richer, but the poor continued to live in poverty.
In 1928, President Machado gave himself another term without reelection. Opposition to him was successful by 1933, when a revolution forced him to flee.
Shortly after, the Sergeants' Revolt caused Fulgencio Batista to rise to power. For many years, he would run the country, usually through puppet presidents.
Batista lost the 1944 election and stepped down. He lived in Miami until American business and Mafia interests convinced him to return.
A coup in 1952 brought back Batista. He ruled as dictator until the triumph of the Revolution in 1959. From then on, US power over Cuba was no more.
The new government of Fidel Castro didn't get along well with the US. Eventually, they turned to the Soviet Union for aid and Mr. Castro announced Cuba was a socialist country. It has remained such ever since, making tremendous social gains but being hurt greatly by the destruction of its trading partners.
Copyright (c) 1998
by Team 18355.
All rights reserved.
The Cuban Experience
(Reproduced With Permission)
Chronology of Cuban Affairs, 1958-1998
Released by the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, January 12, 1998
