Cuban American National Foundation

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CANF Logo
CANF Logo

The Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to overthrowing the Cuban government of Fidel Castro and a transition to a pluralistic, market-based democracy in Cuba.[1] Established in Florida in 1981 by Jorge Mas Canosa and Raul Masvidal, CANF is an organization with numerous members in the United States and other countries.[2] Following the death of its founder in 1997, CANF began to lose its ideological cohesion provided by Mas Canosa, which led a substantial segment of its membership to split and form the Cuban Liberty Council in 2001. CANF has since drifted a considerable amount from its traditional alliance with the Republican Party.

CANF has offices in Miami, Washington, D.C. and New Jersey and chapters in Los Angeles, the greater New York area, Chicago, several cities in Florida, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and Texas.

For two decades CANF has worked to create a bipartisan consensus on U.S. policy that is opposed to the current Cuban government. Between 1990 and 1992, it received a quarter million dollars from the National Endowment for Democracy, an organization financed by the US government.

CANF also operates the radio station La Voz de la Fundación which it attempts to transmit to Cuba and 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.[1]

Contents

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Luis Posada Carriles

It has been alleged that CANF is connected to terrorist acts against Cuban businesses, government and ordinary citizens. Luis Posada Carriles admitted in a 1998 New York Times interview that he received financial backing from CANF for a 1997 bombing campaign in Cuba.[1] CANF has strongly denied Posada's statement. Posada, however, describes long term relationships with CANF figures in his autobiography. Declassified CIA and FBI documents allege that Posada was one of the "engineer[s]" of the 1976 terrorist bombing of Cubana Airlines flight 455 that killed 73 passengers.[3] The administration of President George W. Bush refused to extradite Posada to Venezuela, where he is wanted for this crime.

The Cuban Ministry of the Interior claimed [4] that the three September 4, 1997 bomb attacks against three hotels in Havana, which killed one person [5], were planned and controlled by CANF. CANF has denied the allegations. [6] However, a former board member of the group has stated that several of its leaders planned attacks in Cuba during the 1990s. [7]. In 1997, the CANF published a statement supporting un-conditionally all terrorist attacks against Cuba; the CANF chairman at the time stated that "We do not think of these as terrorist actions".[8]

[edit] Jose Antonio Llama

According to Jose Antonio Llama, former director of the executive board of CANF, the paramilitary role of CANF was established in June of 1992 during an annual congress meeting in Naples, Florida.[9][10][11][7][12] The idea was born when a member recommended "doing more than lobbying in Washington" to overthrow the Cuban Communist government of Fidel Castro. Jorge Mas Canosa and Jose "Pepe" Hernandez were selected as leaders to choose the group for armed operations. Llama has maintained that foundations general board of directors were unaware, including at the time, the board chairman Jorge Mas Santos. With the group established in 1992, the following year brought about more extensive planning, including consideration on what will need to be purchased to carry out their missions. During the 1993 meeting in Puerto Rico, Jose "Pepe" Hernandez was selected as the groups leader due to his "...known record as a fighter in the 2506 Brigade and the Marines."[11][12]

Llama who made a fortune installing air conditioners in Soviet vehicles, admitted in an interview with El Nuevo Herald, the plot to kill Castro and cited other members of CANF as assisting in securing items, funding and participating in the planning. Llama stated he was coming forward because CANF had stolen 1.4 million USD of his own money, between 1994 to 1997, to plan the operation which did not go forward. Llama was considering a lawsuit to recoup his money..[7][11]

Llamas admission came with a list of items acquired for carrying out the task of assassination, these included: a cargo helicopter, 10 ultralight radio-controlled planes, seven vessels and explosives. One of those vessels was the Midnight Express fast boat, meant to take the CANF leader at the time, Jorge Mas Canosa to Cuba if a power struggle erupted or the missions were successful. Another of those vessels was "La Esperanza" which was confiscated by the United States Department of the Treasury following the indictments of four cuban exiles plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro. The weapons and equipment cache on the yacht "La Esperanza" listed:[7][10][13][14][11][12]

  1. (2) .50 caliber sniper rifles
  2. GPS equipment
  3. night-vision goggles
  4. light weight radios
  5. 12 rounds for a .357 pistol

The pistol matching the .357 rounds were never discovered. One of the .50 caliber sniper rifles belonged to Francisco "Pepe" Hernandez, president of CANF. La Esperanza set sail from the private dock of an undiclosed CANF foundation member.[12]

[edit] See also

Cuba Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b CANF - Sobre La Fundacion Nacional Cubano Americana. CANF.
  2. ^ ¿Who founded the CANF?. CANF.
  3. ^ Peter Kornbluh. "Luis Posada Carriles: The Declassified Record", National Security Archives, May 18, 2005. 
  4. ^ Cuba Interior Minister. "Official statement about terrorist arrest", Prensa Latina, September 11, 1997. 
  5. ^ CNN & Reuters. "Explosions hit 3 hotels in Havana, killing 1", CNN, September 4, 1997. 
  6. ^ Pascal Fletcher. "Accused bomber makes calm TV confession in Cuba", Reuters, September 16, 1997. 
  7. ^ a b c d Wilfredo Cancio Isla. "Former CANF Board member admits to planning terrorist attack against Cuba", El Nuevo Herald, June 25, 2006. 
  8. ^ CANF President Francisco Hernandez. "CANF Statement", El Nuevo Herald, August 13, 1997. 
  9. ^ "Cuba's Repressive Machinery: XII. International Policy", Human Rights Watch, 1999. 
  10. ^ a b "Castro assassination charges", BBC, August 25, 1998. 
  11. ^ a b c d Jean Guy Allard & Gabriel Molina. "Scams and scandals among Miami terrorists", Granma International, June 28, 2006. 
  12. ^ a b c d Ann Louise Bardach & Larry Rother. "Plot On Castro Spotlights A Powerful Group", New York Times, May 5, 1998. 
  13. ^ Ambassador Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. "Measures to eliminate international terrorism", United Nations General Assembly Security Council, November 6, 2001. 
  14. ^ "Seven Cuban-Americans Charged With Conspiracy to Murder Fidel Castro", United States Department of Justice, August 25, 1998. 

[edit] Endnotes

  1. ^  "Key Cuba Foe Claims Exiles' Backing", The New York Times, July 12, 1998. 

[edit] External links

Non-CANF websites

Articles and reports

[edit] Further reading

  • Bardach, Ann Louise and Larry Rohter. A Bombers Tale: Taking Aim At Castro; Key Cuba Foe Claims Exiles' Backing. New York Times. Sunday, July 12, 1998. Late Edition - Final, Section 1 , Page 1 , Column 1. Abstract available online. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
  • Bardach, Ann Louise and Larry Rohter. A Bomber's Tale; A Cuban Exile Details The "Horrendous Matter" Of A Bombing Campaign. New York Times. Sunday, July 12, 1998. Late Edition - Final, Section 1 , Page 10 , Column 1. Abstract available online. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
  • The New York Times. Cuban Exiles Say Times Articles Are Baseless. Tuesday, July 14, 1998. Late Edition - Final, Section A , Page 7 , Column 1. Abstract available online. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
  • The New York Times. Cuban Exile Says He Lied to Times About Financial Support. Tuesday, August 4, 1998. Final, Section A , Page 7 , Column 1. Abstract available online. Retrieved May 17, 2005.

Books

  • Bardach, Ann Louise. Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana. 464 pages. Vintage, October 14, 2003. ISBN 0-385-72052-1. [Chapter 7 contains Posada interview]
  • Bardach, Ann Louise. Cuba Confidencial. Spanish Edition. 544 pages. Plaza y Janes, September 28, 2004. ISBN 0-307-24289-7.
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