Vol. 78/No. 19      May 19, 2014

The Treasury Department initially threatened an $11 million fine, but cut it in half because Carlson Wagonlit “provided substantial cooperation” and agreed to waive any protection it had under the statute of limitations, giving the government “detailed and well-organized documents.”

The move is an example of the U.S. rulers’ unremitting hostility toward revolutionary Cuba — one of the most constant features of U.S. foreign policy for more than half a century. This has included thwarted military invasions and assassinations; numerous acts of sabotage and terror; and a trade embargo designed to maximize hardship on the island. With different and shifting tactics, the aim has remained the same: to overturn the revolution that rid the country of a U.S.-backed tyranny and brought workers and farmers to power.

After overthrowing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who fled the country on Jan. 1, 1959, Cuban working people, led by Fidel Castro and the July 26 Movement, carried out a deep-going land reform that gave land to peasants, began to organize workers’ control in workplaces across the island and, in the words of the Havana Declaration of 1960, condemned “the governments that ignore the sentiments of their people in order to obey Washington’s dictates.”

In response, President Dwight Eisenhower banned U.S. exports to Cuba in October 1960. In February 1962 President John F. Kennedy made it a near-total embargo. With small modifications, it has been maintained by every U.S. administration since.

“During the government of President Obama, the blockade has been intensified,” Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez told the U.N. General Assembly Oct. 29 before the body voted 188-2 to condemn the U.S. embargo for the 22nd year in a row.

In March the Cuban Embassy in the Dominican Republic announced that its account with the supermarket PriceSmart was cancelled under pressure from Washington. The Wall Street Journal reported March 7 that the Treasury Department is investigating French banks Société Générale SA and Crédit Agricole SA for embargo violations.

At an April 30 press conference, Department of State spokesperson Marie Harf was asked repeatedly why Cuba has been on the U.S. government’s list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism” since 1982. “We have no plans to take them off the list,” Harf replied. When a reporter said, “I just need to press you on why,” Harf answered, “I’ll keep saying the same thing if you keep asking.”
 
 
Related articles:
May Day marches in Cuba ‘make the earth shake’
US embargo on Cuba part of unbroken attack on revolution
Nebraska: Prison paintings attract support for Cuban 5
Who are the Cuban Five?
 
 
 
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