editorial
page 4
ignoring Cuba no solution
Sen. John J . Sparkman of Alabama, chairman
of the Foreign Relations Committee, best
summed up the U.S. policy toward Cuba during
the last 15 years when he said, "Our policy of
isolating Cuba has been a failure."
Beginning with a partial embargo of Cuba in
October 1960, the U.S. seemed determined to
restrain any attempts by Castro to export
revolution, and, in doing so, to convince the
Cubans that the Western Hemisphere is no place
for a Communist party.
Diplomatic relations were broken off on Jan
3, 1961. A total U.S. embargo began on Feb. 3,
1962, and two years later the Organization of
American States (OAS) agreed to participate.
Now, 15 years later, it appears that normal
relations with Cuba may be established on the
heels of detente with the Soviet Union and
recognition of the People's Republic of China.
Such a reapprochernent was signaled by
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Houston
early this month when he said, "We see no virtue
in perpetual antagonism between the U.S. and
Cuba." Shortly before, the U.S. announced it
would give Cuban officials at the United Nations
a 250-mile radius of movement instead of
limiting! travel to within 25 miles of the i U.S.
The Cubans themselves have taken some
encouraging actions. They recently allowed two
U.S. senators to travel within Cuba and have also
released several American prisoners.
Perhaps the big break came when Cuba
ratified and began enforcing the international
anti-hijacking convention. This had been a major
U.S. condition for improved relations, sparked
by the tendency in the early '70s for U.S.
commercial aircraft to make unplanned flights to
Havana, where hijackers were welcomed with
open arms and put to work in the sugar cane
fields.
The first concrete action toward improved
relations probably will come next year when the
U.S. drops its neutral stance toward a lifting of
the boycott in favor of whatever "generally
acceptable solution" the OAS nations are able to
agree on.
And with that action, if nothing occurs
between then and now to make it infeasible, the
United States will be dropping yet another
vestige of the Cold War policies of containment
and confrontation. Disagreements with Cuba will
best be solved by talking them out, not by
pretending that Cuba isn't there.
Wes Albers
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to th
editor
Dear editor:
For those of you interested in contributing to a campaign taking
place in the "real" world, I would like to recommend two
candidates for city offices whose election would be a major plus
for this community.
They are Steve Tiwald, who is running for City Council, and
Helen Boosalis, who is running for mayor.
Steve Tiwald is young, knowledgeable and progressive. He will be
open to the needs of this campus and the public at large. He is a
past ASUN president although, in his case, there is no reason to
hold that against him. On the contrary, he was extremely effective
"CRIME
as ASUN president.
Helen Boosalis has been an accessible, hard-working, visible
member of the City Council for a number of years. I do believe
that if she is elected mayor we will know she is still in town, which
is more than I can say about what's his name. Anyway, she
deserves a promotion.
I truly believe it is in our best interest to support candidates of
this quality. The primary election is April 8 and the general
election is May 6. This is a bad time for students, but just a
minimum of your help could make a significant difference for us
all.
DonWesely
at
0
daily nebraskan
friday, march 21, 1975
v.