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Christmas for Castro
America's top diplomat
in Havana piques the Cuban dictator.
by Duncan Currie. The
Weekly Standard, Washington DC, December
23, 2004.
Fidel Castro never much liked Christmas.
He officially banned the holiday in 1969,
hoping to maximize Cuba's sugar harvest.
He loosened this restriction in December
1997--but only to coincide with the pending
visit of Pope John Paul II. Now, thanks
to James Cason, it's safe to say Fidel likes
Christmas even less.
Cason is America's top diplomat in Cuba,
our chief of mission at the U.S. Interests
Section in Havana. He recently adorned the
mission grounds with full-blown Christmas
regalia, including a star, candy canes,
Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus--and a flashy
lights display with a big "75"
as it centerpiece.
Why 75? That's the number of dissidents
Castro's government arrested and jailed
back in the spring of 2003. (Some 14 of
the original 75 have subsequently been released.)
It was Cuba's worst crackdown since the
1960s. Many of those imprisoned had been
meeting regularly with Cason.
The crackdown temporarily wiped out the
island's nascent opposition movement. Surely
the regime hoped it would also chasten James
Cason.
So much for that. Cason didn't back down.
If anything, he was emboldened to raise
even more Cain for liberty and human rights.
This past fall, he drew attention by building
a mock Cuban prison cell in his backyard.
Nor has he stopped meeting with pro-democracy
dissidents. He still hosts them at his Havana
residence.
But this latest stunt--with the Christmas
lights--sent Castro into especially high
dudgeon. And it triggered more than just
the familiar war of words.
Shortly after the lights went up, Fidel
fired back. Not only with blustery rhetoric.
Cuban officials plunked down massive billboards
directly across the street from the U.S.
Interests Section. They depict American
abuses at Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib prison.
They also contain Nazi swastikas and references
(in Spanish) to "Fascists." Hefty
spotlights complement these banners.
Cuba's counter-display came with a verbal
warning: Take down the Christmas lights,
or else. But the lights remain stubbornly
in place. And Cason vows they'll stay up
until after the holidays. "Any action
taken against this mission or its personnel
will not affect the U.S. government's determination
to defend universally held democratic values
and fundamental human rights in Cuba and
around the world," he said on December
14.
For its part, the Cuban regime continues
to threaten severe consequences. There's
even been talk that Castro might close the
U.S. mission. But don't bet on it. Such
a drastic move would wreck the (already
slim) chance of America's lifting the travel
ban or the embargo.
Here's something else worth noting about
the Christmas spat. Many ordinary Cubans
did not initially understand the significance
of the number "75." Now, increasingly,
they do. As the New York Sun reported last
week, based on a phone interview with Cason,
"the meaning of the symbol is spreading
as more people visit the interest section."
So by breaking out the Christmas display,
Cason didn't just twist a thorn in Castro's
side. He also struck a real blow for freedom
of information.
How fitting a present to the Cuban people.
Almost makes you want to say--with tongue
firmly planted in cheek--"Merry Christmas,
Fidel."
Duncan Currie is an editorial assistant
at The Weekly Standard.
© Copyright
2004, News Corporation, Weekly Standard,
All Rights Reserved.
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