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Silk gloves to kill the revolution

By Nicanor Leon Cotayo, Prensa Latina, 30 August 1996

ONE of the front organizations utilized by the U. S. government to carry out subversive plans against Cuba is the Washington-based Freedom House Foundation, and the person in charge of leading these activities is one of the organization's top men, Frank Calzon.

Freedom House presents itself as a nongovernmental organization which promotes human rights in the world and is politically neutral, but it is actually a mouthpiece for the White House. Nonetheless, in 1995 it was given full membership in the UN Human Rights Commission, in the role of a "consultative" agency.

Its president is Adrian Karatnycky and its director in the U.S. capital is Frank Calzon, who is of Cuban origin. Since his arrival in the United States in 1960, under the sponsorship of U.S. agencies, including the CIA, Calzon has specialized in propaganda campaigns against Cuba.

In 1993, also with U.S. government financing, he began to promote the creation on the island of so-called nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), which according to the plans, would later be strengthened when they become conduits for humanitarian aid to the island.

It has been said that Washington has outlined two basic tasks for Freedom House: to transmit to Cuba propaganda which paints a rosy picture of capitalism; and to contribute to the establishment there of what is called a "civilian society" - that is, one made up essentially of anti-socialist groups which end up isolating the Revolution.

Two high-ranking officials of the current administration announced on July 16 in a press conference that the government had allocated 500 000 dollars to the foundation, the first official aid (that is, the first made public) destined to further the above-mentioned intentions.

Government figures and officials of Freedom House have given notice in public speeches about what they are doing or have suggested, in one way or another, what they propose to accomplish with that money and other funds.

Among ongoing activities, the agency is printing up propaganda materials aimed at those whom they consider "legitimate elements" who, in line with their thinking, should begin to dismember the current Cuban civil society, until it is converted into something that satisfies U.S. authorities.

What will be the content of this written material "made in the USA" and which they expect to bring into the country for subversive purposes? Their objective will be to transmit to their readers, naturally in a very attractive form, a set of ideas and values which are part of the highly disputed type of democracy which exists in the United States.

Colleagues from over there have told me that in addition, the funds turned over by the White House are for the publication of articles and other materials written by annexationists who portray themselves on the island as independent journalists or human rights activists.

It is said that Freedom House has selected a group of U.S. organizations also known as NGOs to take part in the mission to weaken current Cuban society little by little and to replace it with another, as I explained above, in which there would be no room for revolutionary power.

These efforts extend to third countries, with the goal of encouraging NGOs, human rights activists, intellectuals and trade union leaders, all scrupulously selected for their pro-U.S. stands, to join in the previously mentioned task. This would also serve to cover up Washington's leading role in this political and ideological campaign against Cuba.

Furthermore, it is said in Washington that the foundation hopes to promote visits to Cuba of persons who took part in ldemocratic transitionsk in countries such as those of Eastern Europe, with the objective of advising and encouraging "dissident" actions by small groups that call themselves independent, and among intellectuals whom they consider vulnerable.

Looking at this part of Washington's plan, and what is publicly announced or insinuated there, it is important to make a clear distinction between Cuba's normal foreign relations and the contacts from abroad tainted by subversive machinations.

In this sense, suffice it to say that the caravan of visitors which Freedom House dreams of sending to Havana is not designed to achieve the normal and always desirable exchanges among professionals or of any other type, but rather to undermine the internal situation of an independent and sovereign country.

It is in line with a strategy concerning Cuba enunciated by the president of the United States in a speech on June 27 of last year. To put it into practice, he turned over half a million dollars in a public ceremony three months later, on October 6.

All of this carries a warning. While the implementation of the Helms-Burton Act seriously affected relations between Havana and Washington, those in the United States who have defended the use of activities with an apparently noble image to achieve the same goal have not relented.

At the same time, in their form of proposing these plans, they make it clear that they hope to follow rules established in actions taken against the former Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries, which can be summed up in the idea of using silk gloves to kill the Revolution.

Within Cuba, there are two types of people who are being called upon, consciously or unconsciously, to aid these U.S. machinations: first of all, the "independent" groups which receive money from U.S. government agencies; and secondly, the na ve whose vision does not go beyond appearances.

But despite all of this, Cuba, in one more demonstration of the confidence it has in the vast majority of its population, has no intention of breaking or limiting its ties with the world, including those it has with many NGOs, even as U.S. plots against it are growing, as shown by the case of Freedom House.

But given all of this, it is very important that everyone understand now and for all time that Cuba's position must not be confused with naivete or "laissez-faire" in the name of alleged principles which led other socialist countries to suicide.

What must be stated first of all is that Cuba is well aware of the subversive intentions of these activities, among other reasons because from the president of the United States on down, these intentions have been made perfectly clear repeatedly. Furthermore, Cuba will do whatever necessary, and has all the means necessary at its disposal, to break the back of those plans.

[c] 1996. Latin American News Agency
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