We have seen this: We have seen that in the first month of the revolutionary government-and it is usual to distinguish these three periods of the Cuban last years or history, because many people used to say from January 1 on and from January 1 back, but this is not true. From January 1 on began the democratic revolution in Cuba that Castro betrayed, and in this period of the first times of the revolution the people had really democracy in Cuba, they had freedom, they had free enterprise, and they had a good production of all products of Cuba. But when Castro established communism, then-and the statistics can tell it very much clearer than I-then began to decrease the production, not only in the sugar mills or in the sugar industry, but in all industries in Cuba. Chairman KENNEDY. Is it your information that the terror, the regime by terror, has been increasing in Cuba in the last 2 or 3 years? Dr. URRUTIA. Yes. Have been in prison, because there exist a great disaffection of the Cuban people, and in prison is disaffection to Castro and his group. Therefore, we have heard about programs in the Armed Forces, about programs of Castro in the University of Havana, and about executions of many people that were with Castro in Sierra Maestra. I knew many of these people in Sierra Maestra, and I know that they were not Communists. Therefore, when they see that the regime is not the same as the free enterprise regime, and when they see that we have now slavery in Cuba, and that we have already 4 years of rationing food in Cuba, because this rationing began in March 1962, and they see that this is an economic situation that has no solution, then they begin to preoccupy. Chairman KENNEDY. Do you feel that the isolation of Cuba by the Organization of American States has been somewhat responsible for the failure of the economy to expand or develop? Dr. URRUTIA. Yes, I think so, but we must realize also that at the same time that Cuba has been isolated by the United States and by the Organization of American States they have had connections with Socialist world. Therefore, it is very clear that the Socialist world at least cannot solve the economic problems of Cuba, neither Castro nor his supporters today. Chairman KENNEDY. I want to thank you very much, Dr. Urrutia. Miss Lee, would you like to make a brief comment? Miss LEE. I come here in 1959 and the following year my sister come here, I secure the visa, but at the end of the year my father and brother and sister want to come over. My father has a supermarket in Havana. My mother help my father. That time we try to bring over to United States. So in 1962 my father come over with my younger sister and brother. My mother staying there. She don't have the exit visa from Cuba. So after that we try to get her over. She can't come here. Chairman KENNEDY. She cannot come over? Miss LEE. No. Chairman KENNEDY. Do you have any correspondence with her now? Miss LEE. No. Chairman KENNEDY. You can't write to her, communicate with her in any way? Miss LEE. No. Chairman KENNEDY. Do you receive any word from her from other refugees that come out? Miss LEE. Yes. Chairman KENNEDY. They say she is well? Miss LEE. Well, she was in a few times already. Chairman KENNEDY. Is she on the American list, do you know, is she on the Cuban list? Miss LEE. I don't know. Chairman KENNEDY. Mr. Thomas, can't we find that out, about whether her mother is on the Cuban list? Mr. THOMAS. Yes, sir. We have all the names alphabetized. We can flash down to Miami Center and find that out. Chairman KENNEDY. Perhaps before you leave you can talk to Mr. Thomas. He might be of some help in at least ascertaining whether your mother is on the Cuban list, and perhaps be of some additional help. Miss LEE. Yes. My brother is here. He don't see my mother in 5 years. Chairman KENNEDY. Mr. Thomas will be glad to help. I want to thank you very much for your appearance here today, and to thank Dr. Urrutia and Mr. Grimes from the International Rescue Committee. This concludes this afternoon's hearing. The subcommittee stands in recess until Friday at 10 o'clock at Rutgers University, where we will continue our hearing in the field on the problems of the resettlement programs in New Jersey. The subcommittee is adjourned. (Adjourned at 4:10 p.m.) APPENDIX Hon. EDWARD M. KENNEDY, EXHIBIT 1 HUNTER COLLEGE, OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, DEAR SENATOR KENNEDY: I regret that I shall be out of the country when you will hold hearings in New York City on resettlement of Cuban refugees. While my experience with the resettlement of Cuban refugees was limited to the latter part of the period when I served as Commissioner of Welfare of New York City, I believe you will wish to know my opinion on the adjustment potential of those Cuban refugees for whom I shared some responsibility in planning for them. Without exception, the Cuban refugees for whom I planned were men and women who had a tremendous contribution, professionally, culturally, and socially to take to the life of this City. I recall with deep satisfaction the large group of Cuban refugees whom I interviewed in Florida as part of my efforts to recruit staff for the Department of Welfare. I hired a group of men and women and those who were able to remain with the Department were superior employees. Among those whom I was not able to employ were many who had other skills and abilities that other City and State Departments could well have used. All of them had skills and employment experiences in areas in which there was, and, I dare say, still are manpower shortages. The entire group was eager, ambitious, and determined to be self-supporting, contributing members of the community. I have no doubt that your hearings here in New York and elsewhere will establish that my experience is supported by many others who have had the privilege of direct contact with this group of wonderful people. DEAR SENATOR KENNEDY: The following is in reply to your letter of April 19 with regard to the Senate Judiciary's Sub-committee's request for information concerning "the impact and problems created in the school system by the influx of Cuban refugee children over the past several years." Impact: 1. None of the bureaus of the Board of Education of the City of New York has exact information on admissions and discharges of Cuban children since we do not identify students according to their national origin (with the exception of Puerto Rican pupils). They fight against us by means of subversion and we fight against them by means of legal actions. We cannot win this battle if we do not change our tactics. I am very glad to have had the opportunity to explain our points of view here about this struggle, and therefore to ask for the support of the United States for the Cuban democratic forces in order that we will be able to carry out the democratic revolution inside Cuba and then to win not only the military war against Castro but also the democratic war against communism. If you have any questions, Senator. Chairman KENNEDY. Earlier today we had testimony from Mr. Raul Esparza, who was the top level Cuban sugar expert, and he made a considerable commentary about the decline in the sugar production industry. I was wondering, from your own contacts in Cuba today, would they substantiate what Dr. Esparza said earlier, that from what you know about the Cuban sugar industry today it is headed for difficult times? Dr. URRUTIA. I have a knowledge, because I have been a judge in Cuba for 31 years, and I have applied in Cuba the law that was called the law of sugar coordination, of the coordination of sugar production. This law fixed quotas to the sugar mills in order that they could not be able to produce all the sugar that they were capable to produce under free enterprise, because then the prices would go low, very low, in the world market, because the strength of free enterprise, the power of free enterprise in Cuba to produce sugar was very large, and now, under communism, under the so-called socialism, with a so-called voluntary labor that they say they have, and all these, with the propaganda that they made when arrive time of the sugar harvest, they cannot produce sugar as we did when Cuba was under free enterprise. This explains why this Cuban that spoke here about the production of sugar mills in Cuba today and before is why it is so different. And it is so different because everybody knows that under communism the peasants have no steam for their production. I remember, for instance, that Lenin himself in 1905 wrote that the peasants only wanted land, but that when they gave them, the peasants, land, for this only reason they would not become Socialists and this is what happened in Cuba. They gave land to the peasants but not in the way that this must be done, but the peasants do not work as they worked under free enterprise. This is the reason why this Cuban was right, and this is the very reason of the low production of sugar in Cuba today. Chairman KENNEDY. Your information currently substantiates what we heard earlier, and that is that the sugar economy and the economy of Cuba is in a difficult period of time, is that correct? Dr. URRUTIA. Yes. Chairman KENNEDY. And that as a result this is having an influence on the people generally in Cuba, and that along with other factors, the people want to leave Cuba because of difficult times? Is that one of the reasons why people want to be refugees? Dr. URRUTIA. Now. No. The reason is that the people in Cuba that are connected with the sugar production, any other people can live the same as they live under free enterprise. We have seen this: We have seen that in the first month of the revolutionary government-and it is usual to distinguish these three periods of the Cuban last years or history, because many people used to say from January 1 on and from January 1 back, but this is not true. From January 1 on began the democratic revolution in Cuba that Castro betrayed, and in this period of the first times of the revolution the people had really democracy in Cuba, they had freedom, they had free enterprise, and they had a good production of all products of Cuba. But when Castro established communism, then--and the statistics can tell it very much clearer than I-then began to decrease the production, not only in the sugar mills or in the sugar industry, but in all industries in Cuba. Chairman KENNEDY. Is it your information that the terror, the regime by terror, has been increasing in Cuba in the last 2 or 3 years? Dr. URRUTIA. Yes. Have been in prison, because there exist a great disaffection of the Cuban people, and in prison is disaffection to Castro and his group. Therefore, we have heard about programs in the Armed Forces, about programs of Castro in the University of Havana, and about executions of many people that were with Castro in Sierra Maestra. I knew many of these people in Sierra Maestra, and I know that they were not Communists. Therefore, when they see that the regime is not the same as the free enterprise regime, and when they see that we have now slavery in Cuba, and that we have already 4 years of rationing food in Cuba, because this rationing began in March 1962, and they see that this is an economic situation that has no solution, then they begin to preoccupy. Chairman KENNEDY. Do you feel that the isolation of Cuba by the Organization of American States has been somewhat responsible for the failure of the economy to expand or develop? Dr. URRUTIA. Yes, I think so, but we must realize also that at the same time that Cuba has been isolated by the United States and by the Organization of American States they have had connections with Socialist world. Therefore, it is very clear that the Socialist world at least cannot solve the economic problems of Cuba, neither Castro nor his supporters today. Chairman KENNEDY. I want to thank you very much, Dr. Urrutia. Miss Lee, would you like to make a brief comment? Miss LEE. I come here in 1959 and the following year my sister come here, I secure the visa, but at the end of the year my father and brother and sister want to come over. My father has a supermarket in Havana. My mother help my father. That time we try to bring over to United States. So in 1962 my father come over with my younger sister and brother. My mother staying there. She don't have the exit visa from Cuba. So after that we try to get her over. She can't come here. Chairman KENNEDY. She cannot come over? Miss LEE. No. Chairman KENNEDY. Do you have any correspondence with her now? Miss LEE. No. |