Why USAID’s Cuban Twitter Program was Secret

[Mika]

Why USAID’s Cuban Twitter Program was Secret

On April 3, three journalists from the Associated Press (AP) published the first in a series of well-investigated stories about a heretofore unknown U.S. government-funded project in Cuba. They described how an opaque organization within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) called the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) proffered a Twitter-like social networking app to Cuban cell phones. Little did the apps’ users suspect that they were receiving information from and being monitored by an entity of the U.S. government.

While AP pulled off an incredible investigative coup—one that resulted in a tense Senatorial committee hearing on Tuesday April 8—the project AP describes is only part of a long history of such programs in Cuba and around the world. Unfortunately the story focused attention on a project that no longer exists, rather than on the U.S. government entity USAID/OTI, which continues to operate secretly throughout the world.

While the congressional hearing featured contortionist displays dodging the secrecy of the program, I have been filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on USAID for the past decade, to be met each time with minimal response, if at all. These are not the workings of a “discreet” government body, but a secret one—but getting back to the AP story first....

Rest of article, click here

[Mika]

1. From the article... Cubanet, THE go-to source for the anti Cuba-ists.

The United States has aimed propaganda at Cuba since the early 1960s, using radio, dropping leaflets, and sometimes print media. Perhaps the first attempt to do this through the Internet was CubaNet, starting in 1994. While CubaNet claims to engage in “independent journalism,” a copy of a 1999 USAID grant I obtained through a January 20, 2006 FOIA request shows that this is not the case. The first page of the grant states, “the U.S. Agency for International Development (hereinafter referred to as "USAID" or "Grantor&quot hereby grants to CubaNet News, Inc. (herein after referred to as CubaNet or "Recipient”), the sum of $98,000.00 to provide support for a program in the expansion of an Internet website for independent Cuban journalists in Cuba.” CubaNet is not of Cuban origin, but a part of the U.S. government propaganda apparatus.

For those who are unaware: Cubanet is the primary and often sole source for the much touted HRW & RsF "reports" on the evil island of the evil Dr Castro.

[Judi Lynn]

2. So many people have been witlessly sucked in by Cubanet, too.

What a miserable shame. They've been doing this for a long time, running their phony "news" site.

I'm sure those two other organizations are completely aware of who's steering the ship at Cubanet.

They've thought everything out to the very last possible detail. Completely organized, they mean to stay. We pay for their "services" with our tax dollars. Wunnerful, isn't it?

[Judi Lynn]

3. Can't believe AP would really have done this investigation.

For this to come out, through AP makes you wonder what the real monster story is they are actually concealing, if they would throw out this "bone" as a diversion, to make themselves look like a legitimate news service!

It has never been the inclination of AP forever to be on the level about US targeted countries. It simply adds to the suspense, the suspicion already created from observing their previous record.

It is good to see this much acknowledged. Who ever would have expected this to come from AP, anyway?

The author of the article, Jeremy Bigwood is irreproachable. He deserves so much respect, having opened his life to serving the human race for so many years, at great personal sacrifice and expense.

Just found this unusual photo he took back during the Reagan assault on Central America years, the image of a very young FLMN soldier being assisted by a medic in El Salvador during the reign of terror there by the right-wing government, the ARENA Party:

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