75-01-A5
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Cuba
TranscriptThe men who came to dinner had to wait through an hour of insults from their host before the first course was served. I'll be right back. We've heard a lot of talk lately about it just being a matter of time before we normalize our relations with Castro's Cuba. The talk got its first big push last fall, when two U.S. senators, one a democrat, one a republican, took off for Havana with a bevy of newsmen but without approval from the state department. We haven't had diplomatic relations with Cuba for some 15 years, but the senators thought they'd engage in some personal diplomacy to see if Mr. Castro was softened up a bit. He treated them to a one-hour vitriolic harangue against the United States. If our two senators were indignant about the insult, they didn't show it. They sat down to dinner with him as if nothing had happened. About the same time, a privately endowed group, The Commission on U.S./Latin American Relations, sent the president a 54-page report urging that we lift the embargo on trade with Cuba. We're hearing a steady drum beat of like-minded newspaper and magazine articles. Why the concerted campaign to open trade and diplomatic relations with the Cuban dictator whose people have lived since 1959 in egalitarian poverty. Surely the yearning for Havana cigars can't be that great. The rationale seems to be that there's nothing to be gained in continuing the isolation of Castro's communist island, therefore, we should be gentle to him. Very little has been said of what we should expect from him in exchange for a lifting of the embargo and for recognition by the United States. If, in fact, the time has come for us to reevaluate our Cuban policy, let's do it with a solid quid pro quo in mind. That's Latin for "something for something." I give you this, you give me that, we make a deal. It's done every day by millions of people in their business and personal transactions. At the November meeting of the organization of American states the United States abstained from voting on a resolution to lift the trade embargo on Cuba. Well, now that's better than voting "yes" but it's not as good as voting "no." the resolution didn't get the required vote, but it was close. Before we change our position, let's define the quo that we want for our quid. Let's demand satisfactory answers from Castro to these questions: First, what will he do about Soviet military bases in the island they should be removed. Second, what will he do to assure the other nations of the western hemisphere that he will no longer train equip and support communist guerrillas in other American states. A free and open inspection program in Cuba might help. Third, what will he do about the one and a half billion dollars worth of U.S. citizens' property his government seized. Fourth, what will he do to assure former Cubans, now U.S. citizens, of the freedom to visit Cuba unhindered and without harassment. Fifth, what will he do to guarantee the restoration of individual freedoms to the people of Cuba. Now he may argue that that question interferes with the internal affairs of his nation and that's a little odd because he's been interfering in the internal affairs of other Latin American nations for 15 years and never on the side of individual liberty. Instead of U.S. senators making fools of themselves and instead a self-appointed study group suggesting we hand Castro what he wants, let's do some good old-fashioned horse trading. In the process, maybe we can bargain the bombastic dictator into restoring liberty to his people. They need it. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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