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Politics > All About The Blockade

 Information about the blockade

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
ORIGIN OF THE BLOCKADE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

6 April 1960:  Lester D. Mallory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, pointed out that “most Cubans support Castro” and that “there’s no effective political opposition”, cynically adding that “the only foreseeable means to alienate internal support is through disappointment and discouragement based on insatisfaction and economic difficulties (…). Any conceivable means must be promptly used to undermine Cuba’s economic life (…), deny money and supplies to Cuba, in order to decrease the real and monetary wages with a view to causing hunger, despair and the toppling of the Government.”

 
 
 

 
24 September 1960: The US Government informs of the suspension of operations of Nicaro nickel plant, owned by the Government of that country.

 

16 December 1960: Eisenhower totally suppresses Cuba’s sugar quota for the first three months of 1961.

 

3 January 1961: The US breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba.

 

31 March 1961: President Kennedy totally suppresses Cuba’s sugar quota from the American market for 1961 (3 million tons). 

 

17 April 1961: The Bay of Pigs (Playa Girón) invasion takes place.
 
 

 
 

Late January 1962: The US engages in intense maneuvers at the OAS, ending in sanctions and the breaking of diplomatic relations of most Latin American countries with Cuba.

3 February 1962: Through Presidential Executive Order No. 3447, the full “embargo” of trade between the US and Cuba is put in place.  

24 March 1962: The US Treasury Department announces the prohibition for the entry into US territory of any product manufactured, either totally or partially, with Cuban-made items, even if put together in a third country.

 
 
 

 
 

July 1963: Entry into force of the regulations for the control of Cuban assets, prohibiting all transactions with Cuba and freezing the assets of the Cuban State within the United States.

 

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May 1964: The US Department of Commerce enforces the total prohibition of shipments of food and medicine to Cuba, even though in practice these were no longer taking place. 

 

 

 

 

In 1991, for the first time ever, Cuba presented at the United Nations a draft resolution calling for the end of the blockade. Due to enormous pressures from the US on other countries, Cuba decided to postpone any discussions on the subject.

 
In 1992, following the enactment of the Torricelli Act, Cuba presented such draft resolution once again, adopted by the UN General Assembly under the title “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” A resolution on the subject will be voted on next 28 October.
 
 
 

 

EVER-INCREASING OPPOSITION OF THE BLOCKADE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES:

 > Over 135 US delegations in 2003 (19 Congresspeople, 6 Senators, 3 Governors). In 2004, more than 50 delegations have been received (9 Congresspeople, 2 Senators and 2 Lieutenant Governors).
Ø
 > 85,422 Americans and 115,050 Cubans living in the US traveled to Cuba in 2003.
Amendment presented
Votes
1.   Freedom to travel to Cuba (B. Dorgan) in the Senate (23.10.03)
59-36
2.   Against the restrictions on the sending of packages and on the limit of personal baggage (J. Flake) in the House of Representatives (07.07.04)
221-194
3.   Elimination of the restrictions on family-related travels to Cuba (J. Davis) in the House of Representatives (22.09.04)
225-174
 
 

 
 
WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT THE BLOCKADE?
 

 
 
 

         1.

 

 

That it is the longest-standing economic, commercial and financial blockade in history. Over 10 US Administrations have already enforced, extended and further tightened it.        

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

2.That it qualifies as a real act of genocide.

In accordance with the Geneva Convention of 9 December 1948, genocide is defined as:

¨(…) those acts perpetrated with the intent to totally or partially destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.¨

Those acts include the ¨intentional submission of such group to conditions of existence that may bring about its total or partial physical destruction.¨ 
    2.
 

 
 
 
 
 

         3.

 

 

That its objective is to overthrow the Revolution in order to once again impose neocolonial domination in Cuba.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

         4.

 

 

That 7 in every 10 Cubans have been born and have lived under the blockade. They have had to endure the hardships and constraints that this ruthless policy has imposed on its people.

        

 
 
 
 
 

         5.

 

 

That the economic damage sustained by the Cuban people through its implementation is already over US$ 79.325 billion.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

         6.

 

 

That it has an extraterritorial nature. It imposes the enforcement of US laws on third-country businesspeople and citizens.

        

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
WHAT IS THE BLOCKADE ALL ABOUT?
Eight prohibitions
 
 

 
 

 

CUBA CANNOT EXPORT TO THE US

Cuba cannot engage in any sales to US businesspeople.

In 2003, just to mention three examples, Cuba could have exported:

604,000 tons of sugar amounting to US$ 196.25 million.

35,000 tons of nickel, that would have amounted to US$ 450 million, and some 2,000 tons of cobalt for another US$ 75 million.

US$ 118 million in rolled and leaf tobacco, with only 35% of our total exports of that item.

 
 

 

CUBA CANNOT IMPORT FROM THE US

 

Since it cannot import from the United States, and having been forced to do so from far-flung places, until 2003 our country had sustained losses in the order of over US$ 18 billion.

 

 
 

 
CUBA CANNOT IMPORT FROM THE US
ONLY FOODSTUFFS AND ON AN EXCEPTIONAL BASIS

Since late 2001, Cuba has been able to purchase food from the United States, but with a lot of constraints. For example:

It has to pay cash and cannot receive any credits, not even from private companies, as is the common international practice. 

US companies are also forced into cumbersome bureaucratic formalities to be able to export to Cuba.

 

 
CUBA CANNOT RECEIVE ANY TOURISM
THE US PREVENTS ITS CITIZENS FROM TRAVELING TO CUBA

Over the last five years, according to conservative estimates, some 6.5 million American tourists failed to visit Cuba. That would have brought about revenues in the order to US$ 4.225 billion. 

The sanctions established for traveling to Cuba can be up to 10 years in prison and penalties of US$ 1 million for corporations and US$ 250,000 for individuals.    

 

 

CUBA CANNOT USE THE AMERICAN DOLLAR IN ITS FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS

TS CHARGES OR PAYMENTS IN THAT CURRENCY ARE SEIZED

 

Cuba is forced to exchange its dollars into other currencies when it comes to paying for imports and those who purchase Cuban products must do the same. This entails high financial costs through bank commissions (fees) and serious risks as a result of the fluctuations in the exchange rates.

 

 

CUBA CANNOT USE THE AMERICAN DOLLAR IN ITS FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS

ITS CHARGES OR PAYMENTS IN THAT CURRENCY ARE SEIZED