Cuban American National Foundation

Background and founding

The Cuban National American Foundation was founded in 1981 following the election of Ronald Reagan, when U.S. Republicans sought a lobbying organization made up of anti-Castro Cuban-Americans. The organization was molded after the pro-Israel organization AIPAC and enjoyed significant backing from the Reagan administration. In its early days, CANF also received "sizeable contributions" from board members who were "leaders of Miami's financial and import-export sector," running companies invested in Latin America and stood to gain from Reagan's policies that protected investment overseas. The first president of the organization was Jorge Mas Canosa, president of a construction company, and the first executive director was Frank Calzon, who had directed a Washington-based lobbying group. The organization had claimed to be non-partisan, but in practice its policy proposal were aligned with that of the Reagan government, including, for instance, its support for Radio Martí, an American state-run radio and television international broadcaster. CANF's support proved important in overcoming obstacles and passing the bill. CANF also lobbied for other US foreign policy projects, including the invasion of Grenada and funding the anti-government rebels during the Angolan Civil War. It supported the Caribbean Basin Initiative of 1984.

CANF also operates the radio station La Voz de la Fundación which it attempts to transmit to Cuba; it led the effort to establish the U.S. Information Agency's Radio Martí (1985) and TV Martí (1990). Radio Martí and TV Martí are official U.S. broadcasting operations directed to the Cuban people.

Formerly a strong advocate for isolation of Cuba by the USA, in April 2009 CANF published an article calling for lifting US restrictions on aid and travel to Cuba, and aiding civil society groups there.

History

The Cuban-born anti-Castro terrorist Luis Posada Carriles claimed in 1998 that he received financial support from CANF for a bombing campaign carried out in 1997, although he has denied ties with the attack. CANF has strongly denied Posada's statement, and Posada has since recanted his assertion. Gaspar Jiménez and Rolando Mendoza, ranking members of CANF, stepped down from leadership positions at the institution due to drug trafficking charges.

References

References

1. (2015). "A contemporary Cuba reader : the revolution under Raúl Castro".
2. (2005). "The Cuban embargo : the domestic politics of an American foreign policy". University of Pittsburgh Press.
3. Torres, Maria de los Angelos. (January 1994). "Handbook of Hispanic Culture in the United States: Sociology". Arte Publico.
4. Hastedt, Glenn P.. (2014). "Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy". Infobase Publishing.
5. "CANF - Sobre La Fundacion Nacional Cubano Americana". CANF.
6. (10 April 2009). "Geopolitical Diary: A New Phase in U.S.-Cuban Relations". [[Stratfor]].
7. (April 27, 2006). "National Briefing". [[The New York Times]].
8. (2000). "The Cuban Exile Movement". Ocean Press.