This terrorist organization was formed in New York in the 60' with the objective of confronting, often violently, those groups which supported Cuba. According to FBI reports many of the members of this organization have arrest records for acts of terrorism and for drug trafficking.
The most absurd thing is that this was the first organization to promote human rights in Cuba and to condemn in the international arena Cuba for violations of human rights.
Members of this terrorist organization included among others, the current Rep. Congressman from Miami Lincoln Balart and Frank Calzon, now director of Freedom House ( organization funded by Washington and the extreme right ).
In the 70's Abdala split itself into different groups, many members joining the National Liberation Front of Cuba organization (FLNC).
COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (CCDH)
Created by the terrorist organization ABDALA, it's members included ex-CIA agent Frank Calzon and the reactionary Monsignor from Miami Agustin Roman - who is on the board of directors. This organization has given considerable financial support to Ricardo Bofill in Miami as well as Gustavo Arcos in Cuba.
A coalition of dissident groups created in Cuba on October of 1995. This group like many others are financed by Washington and counterrevolutionary Miami groups. The dissident groups within this coalition are small in nature, often consisting of one, two or three members. Some people believe that this coalition was born out of the frustration of the counterrevolutionary groups at believing that after the fall of the Socialist bloc Cuba would collapse and not seeing it. It is not surprising that shortly after it's creation Brothers to the Rescue invasion of Cuban airspace followed by the shooting down of the two planes created a crisis situation in US-Cuba relation. Some speculate that these organizations were created around this purpose.
This organization as many others work closely with Miami groups, some of them terrorist in nature. After the repeated violation of Cuban airspace and the downing of the two planes by the Cuban government, in February of 1996, this organization endorsed unconditionally the Helms-Burton act - an act which is currently condemned internationally for it's violation of laws relating to the sovereignty of nations and for it's infringement on international trade. In support of the Helms-Burton act this organization sent a letter of support to Jesse Helms, an extreme right winger and an arch enemy of Cuba.
When Jorge Mas Canosa, an ex-CIA agent and president of the extreme right wing organization, Miami based Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) passed away directors of the CC sent a communiqué expressing condolences, "to a man who has dedicated his life to the liberty of the Cuban people". The real face of this organization is seen in it's eulogy to an ex-CIA agent, a mafia figure who with Washington's help was given a free hand to practice corruption and dirty politics; a free hand that made him amass a fortune of more than 100 million dollars. Up to this day the legacy of his corruption lives on as one of his companies Mastec is the target of investigations by Spanish courts for declaring itself in bankruptcy and leaving thousands of workers without jobs and pensions.
CUBAN DEMOCRATIC ARRANGEMENT (CDC)
On September of 1961, ex-CIA agent Carlos Alberto Montaner, among others, directors of the organization called Cuban Democratic Platform created another group named the Cuban Democratic Arrangement. The purpose of this newly formed organization as is the current mode is to influence the press and the governments of Europe utilizing diplomatic and soothing language, such as, "dialogue", "human rights" and "peaceful transition". Members of this group include Elizardo Sanchez Santacruz and the poet Elena Maria Elena Cruz Varela and Gustavo Arco. Among other members of this organization is the extremist and terrorist Hubert Matos.
When my wife debated recently - Feb. 2002 - in a call-in radio show (WADO) in New York with the "dissidents" Elizardo Sanchez and Hetor Palacios - they were speaking from Havana - the true reactionary nature of these so called leaders became evident as one of them called my wife a "communist sent by the devil". It must be added that the Cuban born New York announcer ended up calling my wife "an animal". All of this because my wife was in disagreement with what had been said.
Lastly, this organization like many others, although they present themselves as a moderate opposition to the Cuban government, in reality they are extremist whose real objectives are the destruction of the Cuban revolution and the Socialist system on the island.
CORU ( Coordinator of United Revolutionary Organizations )
This organization created in the 70's in Miami was the most violent and bloody of the terrorist exile groups. It was run by the terrorists Orlando Bosch and the Novo brothers. Ramon Saul Sanchez who was often seen on US television as one of the major spokesman for the exile during the Elian saga and the director of the organization the Democratic Movement was a member of CORU.
In it's first ten months of existence it committed more than 50 acts of terrorism against Cuba and those firms which had businesses with the island. CORU defended and applauded the downing of the Cuban airliner in 1976 by Orlando Bosch and others.
FBI reports of that time indicates that members of CORU were involved in drug trafficking and that the org. was financed by drug trade.
CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC INTERNATIONAL (CDI)
It is not by mere coincidence that in many continents and nations there exists the Christian Democratic Party (CDI ). All of these parties are members of the Christian Democratic International. These parties though they posses a name apparently very Christian and humanitarian are far from being just that, for most of the leaders come from the right and extreme right wing of the society. Their political view and agendas are aligned with the interests of the superpowers and in Latin America particularly with the interests of the US.
A case in point of how this international mafia works is exemplified in a Herald Tribune article written on May 14, 1984, in which states that the Christian Democratic Party of Salvador was given 960,000 for the presidential candidacy of Napoleon Duarte, an extreme right winger who was both a puppet of the US and of the CDI.
In addition the CDI, whose directors are mainly from Belgium, gave great sums of money and material support to those organizations inside of Nicaragua who opposed the Sandinista government; all of this while the US was mining Nicaragua's harbors, was financing the terrorist group known as the Contras and was carrying out an economic embargo against that nation.
Since the 1980's the CDI has totally supported financially and morally the Christian Democratic Movement, a Miami based group made up mostly of Cuban exiles from the far right. The objective of this organization as well as it's parent CDI is to wage a propaganda war internationally on the of human rights front against Cuba.
FREEDOM HOUSE (FH)
Is a Washington based organization directed by ex-CIA agent Frank Calzon. The Cuban American National Foundation and FH maintain close ties, both under the direction and the financing of the National Endowment for Democracy; both with the objective of financing counterrevolutionary groups in and outside of Cuba disguising themselves as human rights organizations. The US government has passed resolutions financing these groups with millions of our tax dollars annually as well as appropriating half a million dollars yearly to promote these so called dissident organizations within Cuba.
CUBAN-AMERICAN NATIONAL FOUNDATION (CANF)
INTRO: This organization, which unfortunately sets US policy against Cuba was created by the US right wing. It is the most powerful of all the groups, lobbying and buying off politicians with campaign contributions. Senator Burton of Indiana, for example, who engineered and pushed the anti-Cuban law known as the Helms-Burton act receives three times more campaign funds from the Foundation than his hometown constituents. But it doesn't stop there. Senator Torricelli of New Jersey, the one who authored and pushed another anti-Cuban law known as the Torricelli act, has received millions of dollars for his campaigns from the CANF. There are countless others, as is Bill Clinton, who received campaign contribution, shortly before signing the infamous Helms-Burton act.
The relation between the CANF and the Washington establishment, specially the right wing can best be described as symbiotic in nature. A good example of how this work is seen in two of the top ranking money making machines the CANF has: Radio Marti and TV Marti. Both of these station's objectives is to transmit anti-Cuban propaganda 24 hours a day, something by the way that breaks international communication laws and has international organizations protesting.
Both of these pet projects costs the tax payers 30 to 40 millions of dollars annually. The most interesting thing that the transmission of both of these are blocked effectively by the Cuban government at a nominal cost.
You may ask why then is so much money being wasted? Well the answer is that what may be waste to you is gold for others. The reactionary forces in the US and the Cuban right wing uses these cash cows to make money.
The symbiotic relation alluded to before works like this: the US Senators who are in the pockets of the CANF push and vote for legislation which helps set up these cash cow. Then after the CANF pockets most of this money it funnels a sizeable portion of it as campaign contributions to all those who supported the projects. It is a mafia working at its best.
HOW DID THIS MAFIA COME ABOUT?
One of the first things that newly elected US president Ronald Reagan did in 1981 was to restore all of the powers the CIA; powers that previous administrations had taken away. During this time he signed the Santa Fe document. A document which defined US policies towards Latin America. It is important to note that the most reactionary element and right wing element within the US hailed the document. Among others hailing the document were people like then vice president and former CIA director George Bush along with newly appointed CIA director William Casey. Both of these were ecstatic about the harsh measures outlined in the document against Cuba and then Sandinista led Nicaragua.
The Reagan administration although extreme right wing in nature was worried by the negative worldwide image the exile groups and the US were getting as a result of the terrorist acts committed by the exile groups against Cuba. At this time Roger Fountaine, one of the authors of the Santa Fe document suggested that an organization be set up in Washington to lobby and to support all those politicians who supported a harsh political platform against Cuba. This idea was passed on to then CIA director William Casey. Mr. Casey who was delighted by the idea gave Richard Allen, a CIA veteran and member of the National Security Council the task of setting up this new organization. With this the CANF was born.
Allen chose ex CIA agent Jorge Mas Canosa as director of this new organization because of his political activism as well as his friendship with CIA director Casey and the director of Special Operations of the CIA, Theodore Shackley.
The close relation between the CIA and the CANF cannot be denied as the first 14 members were members of the CIA. They were all millionaires, all connected to Batista's old guard. Among them were: Raul Masvidal a banker and ex member of brigade 2506 (Bay of Pigs); Carlos Salman a member of the Republican Party and close friend to the Bush family; Frank Calzon ex member of the terrorist groups ABDALA and the National Liberation Front of Cuba; Luis Botifoll president of Republic National Bank and who by the way was investigated for money laundering; Jose Sorzano an ex member of the National Security Council.
At this time this mafia has 100 millionaires, all from the extreme right wing, who contribute 5 thousand to 50 thousand all which they write off as tax deductions and which get back in pet projects as the aforementioned Radio and TV Marti. To reiterate two stations which costs more than 40 million tax dollars and which nobody can see or listen to in Cuba.
The CANF also receives money from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). An organization created by Ronald Reagan in 1983 and which was supervised by an official of the Department of Special Forces of the CIA. The NED through the CIA and through other covert activities has given great sums of money political parties, "humanitarian" groups and the press, all those groups which are allies to the interests of Washington. The vast amounts of money annually are destined to the objective of financing all those who oppose Cuba, as well as, financing international propaganda against Cuba.
In 1988 for example, the NED donated 390,000 dollars to the CANF. One can be most assured that part of the money fell into the hands of those Washington legislators who opposed any kind of dialogue with the island. In matter of fact, the CANF and the NED, for some time have been close associates, with the NED giving the Foundation great sums of money to finance counterrevolutionary groups, many disguised as human rights organizations, not only in Cuba but in Miami and Europe.
The CANF has been giving a special status in Washington. In essence it has been given a free hand not only in the Capital but in Miami as well. As aforementioned many a Senators and Congressmen, as well as other politicians, all oppose to Cuba, have been amply rewarded. Apart from the people already mentioned it must be added that Liberal Bill Clinton received in his first presidential campaign 400,000 dollars from the CANF. A sum which according to Mas Canosa was closer to 2 million.
Aside from the handling of great sums of our tax dollars to lobby the CANF, for more than 40 years has financed the bulk of terrorist activities against the island.
In 1988 terrorist Orlando Bosch returned to Miami from Venezuela. Upon his arrival he was arrested by the FBI. After his arrest the CANF became the forefront of the fight to set him free. The CANF at that time poured in vast amounts of money into the campaign of Ileana Ross-Lehtinen who was running for congress in Miami and whose campaign promises included the pushing for the release of the terrorist. It must be added that the campaign manager of Ilaena Ros-Lehtinen was none other than Jeb Bush, the son of George Bush Sr. and that he also received much money from the Foundation.
It is important to note that the CANF had always maintained close ties to another terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. Carriles being along with Orlando Bosch one of the planners of the downing of a passenger plane in 1976. This bloody terrorist received much moral and financial support form the CANF while in Venezuela. After he mysteriously escaped from a Venezuelan jail in 1985, he went on to live in El Salvador. He went on to do work for the CIA against the Sandinista government, receiving also a monthly check from the Foundation.
It must be emphasized that the CANF has had ties with drug traffickers. As the Miami Herald itself has stated in an article, when it uncovered that one of the directors of the CANF, Jorge Valdes was charged with drug trafficking. The article goes on to mentioned that part of the money from the drug sales funded the terrorist activities of Posada Carriles. It must be said that Mr. Valdes resigned from the board of directors of the CANF.
In 1980, Mas Canosa was asked to head an infiltration group as the US was attacking Granada. As part of this team Mas Canosa wanted two former buddies and members of the CIA, Cesar Quiraga and Israel Rojas. There was one problem. These two were in a Miami jail for drug trafficking. With his political influence and with the help of the Miami police, Mr. Canosa was able to set them free.
It must also be said that a personal friend of Canosa was Jose Chaviano, a businessman with ties to Jose Francisco Ernaldo, known as Ricky, a kingpin in drug trafficking.
It must be added as well that one of the directors of the Foundation, millionaire Carlos Perez, who gave substantial amount of money to Reagan's presidential campaign and to the defense fund of Oliver North - Iran Contra scandal - was accused in an article by the Spanish magazine, Interview of importing cocaine through his banana company in Costa Rica. After much litigation the magazine was bought by Mas Canosa and the case forgotten. The newspaper people of course were all dismissed after the buyout.
Some of the policies and objectives of the Foundation is to fund politicians and parties in Latin America and in Europe which have an anti-Cuban position. To coordinate actions against Cuba and to interchange intelligence information the CANF has maintained systematic communications with the CIA, FBI and the US National Security Council.
The CANF has been a belligerent foe to anyone and anything that has gone against it's interests. As once arrogantly stated by Mas Canosa: "Our motto is to buy all those who would be bought. And to those who don't understand any language other than violence, we will speak to them in their own language. Nothing can get in our way, no one can stop us, we are not seeking blood but if it has to be spilled so be it".
On November 1997 Jorge Mas Canosa the chief director of the CANF passed away. This man who epitomized arrogance, intolerance and political hate, a person hailed by some as a Mafioso was no longer. The death of this character was to some like the death of the Godfather Don Corleone in the classic movie The Godfather. For just like in the movie his death has led to many intrigues and infighting. His demise has led to a power struggle within the CANF. Will his son be able, just as Michael Corleone did in the classic movie, to consolidate the organization and end the infighting? Will the son be another Michael Corleone and wipe out the others? Only time will tell.
CUBAN DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM (CDP)
This organization was created in 1990. In it's initial meeting in Madrid, Spain the organization's reactionary nature was revealed as it stated that it's objective was to force the Cuban government to free elections similar to Nicaragua (note: the elections in Nicaragua were held under US military and economic aggression; the mining of harbors; and the US giving then giving the opposition candidate, Chamorro, 10 million dollars for her campaign) and Eastern Europe. Stating that if these elections occurred they would "sweep away Communism".
Their reactionary outlook and position is further seen when they authorized themselves the right to invite the Cuban government to dialogue a peaceful transition.
The CPD in their meetings and their statements, as well as supporting the embargo, support fully and unconditionally US policies against Cuba. They never issue any statements condemning past and current US aggression against the island.
The CPD initially obtained the collaboration of Elizardo Sanchez, writer Maria Elena Cruz Varela and Gusatvo Arcos, among others. These three were the organizers of the Cuban Democratic Arrangement.
Although the CPD presents itself in and out of Cuba as having a moderate position against the island - something that their platform does not indicate - one must be aware also that one of their members is Hubert Matos an extremist and a terrorist who preaches violence; not worrying about the spilling of Cuban blood. The ultimate objective of this organization, as is the case of most of these groups is the destruction of the Socialist government on the island followed by the establishment of a "democratic" government, all of course under the orders of the US.
One of the directors Carlos Alberto Montaner, who although presents himself as a defender of human rights and as a liberal, by his deeds and actions, is just another exile recalcitrant whose real objective is the destruction of the Socialist government and the implantation of a dictatorship under US imperialism.
On the international scene CPD has given vast amounts of money to parties and government officials in Spain, Russia and Poland and recently Holland to, promote human rights campaigns against Cuba, and to try to incite countries to pressure the island on the political and economic fronts.
CUBAN DELEGATION IN EXILE (CDE)
This counterrevolutionary group was one of the first ones created by the exiles. Created by the CIA, it was one of the first ones to utilize the "cause" as a business. Shortly after the Bay of Pigs fiasco it collected million of dollars to prepare for a second invasion. This group organized small commando type raids against economic targets in Cuba. All of these were stopped by the Cuban armed forces. The directors of these organizations included Jorge Mas Canosa and Pepe Hernandez.
CUBAN LIBERAL UNION (CLU)
This organization was organized in Cuba in 1990. And although it has fewer than 100 members it was recognized by the International Liberal Organization. The vice president of this organization is Carlos Montaner, also director of the Cuban Democratic Platform. The CLU is also a member of CDP. Note: The crossover of directors and organizations is not uncommon, you may have a director of one group being a member of another group. This is not uncommon as the main purpose of this is to make it appear as there is a substantial following and support for these groups. The reality of the situation is that they do not have substantial or significant support. That is why they turn to this kind of trickery.
Lastly, this organization has nothing to do with the real meaning of liberal thinking and attitudes as many members and directors are right wingers, as is the case of Montaner who is a conservative of the extreme right wing.