Another Failed Policy of Subversion: Obama Youth Infiltrate Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

August 06, 2014
Another Failed Policy of Subversion

Obama Youth Infiltrate Cuba

by SHELDON RICHMAN


When I saw the headline about the U.S. government and Cuba in my newspaper the other day, I thought I’d awoken in 1961. It was a Twilight Zone moment for sure: “U.S. program aimed to stir dissent in Cuba.” I expected Rod Serling to welcome me to “another dimension.”

But it was 2014. The AP news report said President Barack Obama and presumably then–secretary of state Hillary Clinton had plotted to incite a popular uprising — to “gin up opposition” — against the Cuban government by sending in young Latin Americans masquerading as tourists and health workers.

Did Obama, Clinton, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversaw the operation, learn nothing from the 1960s, when the Kennedy and Johnson administrations tried repeatedly to overthrow Cuban ruler Fidel Castro and even to assassinate him?

The AP investigation disclosed that the USAID agents had “little training in the dangers of clandestine operations — or how to evade one of the world’s most sophisticated counter-intelligence services.” Nevertheless, the AP continued, “their assignment was to recruit young Cubans to anti-government activism, which they did under the guise of civic programs, including an HIV prevention workshop.” The program, which lasted at least two years, began shortly after Obama’s inauguration.

~snip~
News of the USAID operation reminds us of some of the U.S. government’s most despicable acts during the Cold War. The government made eight attempts on Castro’s life and other attempts on the lives of other Cuban leaders. In 1961 the CIA sent 1,500 Cuban exiles to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. That operation, part of the Cuba Project (or Operation Mongoose), failed miserably and embarrassed President John F. Kennedy, who had taken office that year. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff even contemplated having terrorists acts committed on U.S. soil in order to blame Castro and whip up war fever among Americans (Operation Northwoods). Thankfully, Kennedy vetoed that plan.

After all that, you’d think Obama and Clinton would have learned that the best way to liberate Cuba is for the United States to normalize relations, complete with free trade and free travel.


http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/06/obama-youth-infiltrate-cuba/

[pinto]

1. This is laughable and way overhyped. What, a dozen young men and women to foster an "uprising"?

LOL.

[Scootaloo]

2. US interaction with Cuba has rarely been anything BUT laughable

it's time we just got the fuck over our Fascist buddy Batista being run off.

[pinto]

3. Yeah, good point. And we are for the most part I think.

What little I hear in the media directly from young Cuban Americans is a big, eh. "What's the big deal." Seems they don't buy the hype.

[Judi Lynn]

5. The prevailing attitude of the offspring of original wave Battista-supporting "exiles"

has nothing in common with US citizens' position regarding Cuba and the "intelligence" of 60 years of vicious abuse from the U.S.

Whether or not they "buy" it is meaningless. They probably should invest a little of their US taxpayer-financed education they received here, and learn more about their own Cuban history, US history, and the legalities of overthrowing other countries through dirty methods like this, all financed by the completely unaware US taxpayers.

[newfie11]

9. +infinity

[Judi Lynn]

4. 5 Insidious Ways the US Has Tried Pulling Off Coups Through 'Democracy Promotion'

AlterNet / By Alex Kane
5 Insidious Ways the US Has Tried Pulling Off Coups Through 'Democracy Promotion'

Cuba is the latest country to be targeted by U.S.-funded groups trying to destabilize unfriendly governments.

April 7, 2014 |

Since Fidel Castro and his band of armed communist militants overthrew a right-wing dictator in 1959, the U.S. has sought to turn back the clock and destabilize Castro.

Today is no different. While contemporary means of fomenting unrest in Cuba may be novel, the underlying goal is the same: bring Cuba back into the U.S. orbit.

Last week, the Associated Press revealed the latest method the U.S. sought to employ towards that goal. The news agency exposed a secret American program to enlist thousands of young Cubans onto a Twitter-like social network to organize protests to bring down the Castro government, which is now run by Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother.

While past attempts at overthrowing Castro were run (and bungled) by the Central Intelligence Agency, this plan was run by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), putting the program out of the reach of Congressional overseers. Using foreign shell accounts and unwitting executives, USAID launched ZunZuneo—Cuban slang for a hummingbird’s tweet. USAID is known for spending money on humanitarian relief, but as the AP shows, it serves another purpose: funding initiatives to help overthrow governments that resist U.S. empire.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/world/how-usaid-ned-and-iri-destabilize-foreign-governments

[Judi Lynn]

6. Cuba and the Skeletons of USAID

Cuba and the Skeletons of USAID
August 7, 2014
Fernando Ravsberg*

HAVANA TIMES — The Associated Press (AP) news agency seems intent on making all of the United States plans in Cuba public. It first great revelation was that Alan Gross – the US citizen currently imprisoned in Havana – had smuggled communication systems so sophisticated they were used by the Pentagon and CIA.

In addition, it revealed that, to conduct these operations, Gross had been paid hundreds of thousands of Washington’s dollars, tearing apart the image of the altruistic Jewish humanitarian who risked his freedom to give his community on the island greater Internet access.

Sometime later, the agency revealed the existence of Zunzuneo, a kind of Twitter especially designed to steer Cuba’s internal political situation through cell-phone text messages. The United States reached some 40 thousand people on the island this way. The plan consisted in sending interesting but politically innocuous information to users in order to gain in credibility among a public to whom materials aimed at impacting Cuba’s internal situation (with a view to “promoting democracy”) would later be sent.

Now AP brings up for discussion the fact the US government also infiltrated groups of young Latin Americans (from Costa Rica, Peru and Venezuela) into Cuba in order to bolster the opposition movement – and that they did so using health programs as cover.

One of the infiltrators was Felipe Valencia Dongo, advisor to the Minister of Education of Peru.

Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy, chair of the commission that supervises USAID’s budget, declared that the façade used was “worse than irresponsible” because “the U.S. government should never sacrifice delivering basic health services or civic programs to advance an intelligence goal.”

However, the young Latin Americans were a very good deal, because they could be paid infinitesimal wages and would not become a problem for the White House if they ended up in prison. Better still, they would create conflicts between Havana and governments in the region.

More:
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=105385

[Judi Lynn]

7. Revealed: USAID ‘Cuban Twitter’ contractor given secret level clearance

Revealed: USAID ‘Cuban Twitter’ contractor given secret level clearance

Documents obtained by Al Jazeera show private firm knew work setting up social network for Cubans could be classified

April 14, 2014 12:30PM ET |Updated 4:48PM ET
by Kaelyn Forde

A firm contracted by the U.S. government to help set up a Twitter-like network in Cuba held secret level security clearance and was warned the operation could involve classified work, according to documents seen by Al Jazeera. And documents show that the program was managed by a section of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) tasked with helping manage regime change in countries where U.S. interests are at stake.

Details contained in the terms of a $1.5 billion contract between USAID and Washington-based contractor Creative Associates International (CAI) and others outline the security clearance arrangements required by the U.S. government. Signed in 2008, the document had been obtained by researcher Jeremy Bigwood through a FOIA request, and shared with Al Jazeera. USAID said the document was for subsequent work put out to CAI and not the one relating to the funding of Twitter-like ZunZuneo. But Al Jazeera understands that the stated security level needed and the reference to the possibility of "classified" work is exactly the same as in the contract relating to controversial Cuba project.

Bigwood first reported on the contract in a report published Monday by the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). The contract details could be seen to undermine official statements that the ZunZuneo program was “discreet” but “absolutely not” covert, according to testimony USAID administrator Rajiv Shah gave before Congress.

Matt Herrick, spokesman for USAID, told Al Jazeera on Monday that references in the contract to "secret" security level being required was standard.

More:
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/4/14/secret-cuba-twitter.html

[HPL72]

8. So, the contract was signed in 2008 right?

The last post here says the contract was signed in 08...when ahem..Bush was President
Is that right...

[Judi Lynn]

10. The contract binding USAID and Creative Associates International, Inc. was signed

in September, 2008.

As I attempt to understand it, the contract refers to a commitment to follow "task orders" issued by USAID.

I'm not seeing any country is targeted in the contract at that time, merely the legal relationship between USAID and the contractor was established.

Wouldn't be at all surprised if this exact plan was already in motion before President Obama took office, just as the Bay of Pigs invasion was already underway, with armed and trained Cuban exiles paramilitaries in Central America before John F. Kennedy was elected.

Bush most clearly was nose-deep in his association with the anti-Cuban government "exile" Cubans in the States, and the CIA since long before he was "elected" President, through both his father and his brother, Jeb.

For anyone wanting a quick link to the very interesting contract:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1112161-20120106-ww-aid-123-09-cai-whl-281-29.html