Recently there have been many requests by American farmers and businessman to lift the embargo against Cuba. Due to harder economic times in the U.S. especially farmers; one can sympathize with them to have an increase business market to sell their crops, and products also. However, most Americans are not aware that Castro put himself in power through military force not democracy.
Castro confiscated all properties on the island. He made it illegal for anyone but the government to own property. In this manner in 1959, he stole all the properties and businesses owned by both Cubans and businessmen from all over the world, the majority being Americans. Castro took over all private assets which then became Cuban government assets. Many U.S. companies with offices in buildings built with U.S. money, manufacturing plants, and many other types of business places throughout the island were forced to leave the country. Castro confiscated all the infrastructure left behind. In essence, Castro stole all Cuban properties as well as U.S. businesses with whatever these companies built as well as whatever machinery they used to operate those businesses. In 1995, those confiscated assets were estimated by the Foreign Settlement Commission in the U.S. Department of Justice to be worth approximately six billion dollars.
In an effort to prevent the injustice caused by Castro, Congress passed the Cuban Liberty and Solidarity Act of 1995 intended to protect the property rights of U.S. citizens who lost their property and assets to Castro in 1959. Nearly one half of the six thousand certified claims filed against Cuba and Castro with the Foreign Settlement Commission at the U.S. Department of Justice is registered by some of the largest American companies here in the states. Some of these companies include Colgate-Palmolive, a soap company, Owens-Illinois Inc., a glass and bottle manufacturing company, Freeport-McMoran, a nickel mining company, ITT Corp, a telecommunications company as well as many more.
This act has a provision called Title I which provides for the trade embargo against Cuba as well as provisions for the President of the U.S. to oppose Cuba’s membership in the International Monetary Fund as well as the World Bank until a transitional democratic government is elected and in place in Cuba. This is so that the injustice of many business people (including many Americans) losing their assets caused by Castro’s crimes of grand theft for many decades now is stopped. It also prevents foreign businesses from profiting from Castro’s crimes.
Consequently, to lift the embargo would break U.S. law, the Cuban Liberty and Solidarity Act of 1995. This would also promote the continued injustice of selling to foreign investors in Cuba whatever U.S. products farmers and others want to sell to Cuba but circumventing the actual owners of the assets who have not been compensated by Castro, or foreign companies doing business in Cuba, or U.S. farmers and businesses in the U.S. doing business with Castro or his agents. In its most simple form, it would break the law, be unfair, and promote crime and injustice.
