Failure to communicate
Consorting with Cuban underground is no way to build détente
By Emilio Paz
When will Washington stop shooting itself in the foot?
According to a New York Times report published Dec. 12, “a United States government contract worker, who was distributing cellphones, laptops and other communications equipment in Cuba on behalf of the Obama administration, [was] detained by the authorities” in Havana on Dec. 5.
American officials in Havana told The Times that the man was employed by Development Alternatives Inc. of Bethesda, Md. The company, which had at least $391,000 in government contracts last year, is, according to The Times, “a kind of do-it-all development company that provides services to the United States government in countries around the world.”
“The company works on projects for clients such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank,” The Washington Post reported.
The unidentified man entered Cuba “on a tourist visa, without proper documents,” The Times said. The State Department on Dec. 12 said he was not a U.S. government employee.
I must say I am neither surprised nor horrified that Cuban state security arrested the man. He could just as easily been distributing plastic explosives and detonators. The fact his goodies were electronic gizmos does not mitigate the severity of the breach of law.
Look at the circumstances dispassionately. The man, a Washington “contractor” (read soldier of fortune, mercenary, hired hand, salaried minion) slips into Cuba, gains access to “cellphones, laptops and other communications equipment” and distributes them – or attempts to – to people who presumably were expecting them.
One thing is for sure. The man did not stand on a corner and hand the devices to passers-by, the way American tourists sometimes hand out candy and chocolate bars to kids in the foreign cities they visit.
How did he obtain the devices? It’s unlikely that he brought them in his suitcase. They would have been spotted at the airport by Cuban Customs. One possibility is that they were originally taken into Havana via diplomatic pouch and held there until a hired messenger could come in and distribute them “to the needy.”
Why? A “contractor” disguised as a tourist separates U.S. consular officials in Havana from the commission of a blatant and very undiplomatic misdemeanor – or felony, depending on how Cuban laws interpret the unauthorized giveaway of foreign electronic devices. If caught, the tourist can be deported; the consular officials stay.
It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out who the intended recipients of the devices were: opposition activists whose avowed purpose is to destabilize the Cuban government.
Jim Boomgard, Development Alternative’s chief executive officer, told The Associated Press that the man arrested was working in a new USAID program intended to “strengthen civil society in support of just and democratic governance in Cuba.”
The man was “implementing a […]subcontract to assist Cuban civil society organizations,” Boomgard said in an official statement.
And you wonder why the Cuban security services are paranoid?
If the Obama administration wishes to establish a working relationship with the Castro administration, it will have to stop these silly games, which are more representative of the W. Bush regime than of today’s Democratic White House. A hand extended in friendship means “I have nothing up my sleeve” – not even cellphones, laptops or other communications equipment.
Emilio Paz is a Cuba-watcher living in South Florida.
