President Diaz-Canel Settles In

Cuba's Transitional Leader!!
{Updated: Wednesday, October 31st, 2018}

     This past weekend Cuba's transitional new President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, hosted the President of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez Ceren. The two leaders signed several economic and cultural agreements and Ceren thanked Diaz-Canel for the approximately "20,000" El Salvadorans whose eyesight have been restored or drastically improved by Cuban doctors.

     This week -- on October 29th, 2018 -- the President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, arrived in Havana. He met with Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel and then the next day visited the Panama Pavilion at the Havana International Fair where Diaz-Canel is trying to persuade about 65 nations to invest in Cuba, particularly the island's deep-water, state-of-the-art Mariel Economic Zone 28 miles southwest of Havana. Varela is also impressed with Havana's renowned Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology research area, which he will also visited. Panama is becoming a more important trade partner for Cuba because thousands of Cuban entrepreneurs regularly fly to Panama to purchase products they bring back to Cuba to sell for profits.

     During his recent visit to New York City and the United Nations, Cuban President Diaz-Canel made it a point to meet as many leaders as he could. He is concerned with reports in the Miami Herald and the Washington Times that President Trump has allowed Senator Rubio to "pack" the U. S. State Department's Western Hemisphere Affairs department and the U. S. National Security office with the most visceral career-long Counter Revolutionary Cuban-Americans. For that reason Diaz-Canel is about to embark on an extensive trip to Europe and Asia, with important stops including friendly nations such as China, Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, and Laos.

     Meanwhile, President Diaz-Canel has raved about Cuba's "talented and well-educated array of young broadcast journalists" and he ordered his Ministers to appear regularly on Cuba's television channels to "let the people know what you are doing to address their concerns." In the half-hour interview above that was posted on YouTube Sunday, Oct. 28th, that is Minster of Commerce Rodrigo Malmierca being interviewed on Cubavision International by popular young journalist Rosy Amaro Perez. In the interview, Malmierca stressed, "El blogueo de el prencipal obstacula para el desarrollo de Cuba." {"The blockade is the foremost obstacle to the economic development of Cuba."}. Yet, Malmierca was optimistic about new veins of foreign investment, including...very hopefully...at the expansive Mariel Port Economic Zone.

    Among the foreign investors heavily involved in Cuba is Spain's massive Iberostar Hotel  & Resorts group, including the 5-star Riviera Hotel that now spices up Havana's skyline.

        More Iberostar Hotels have opened or will soon open.

    But the magnificent 5-star Iberostar Riviera Hotel in Havana is particularly interesting.

    From 1952 till 1959 the top echelon of the U. S. Mafia ruthlessly ruled Cuba and in 1958, even as Fidel Castro-led rebels were marching relentlessly from the Sierra Maestra foothills in far southeastern Cuba towards Havana, Mafia kingpin Meyer Lansky opened his expensive Pride 'n Joy, his Hotel Riviera in Havana with Hollywood headliners sharing the celebrations.

     The Mafia was in total control of Cuba -- dictated by Luciano, Lansky, and Batista -- from 1952 till 1959 with rich U. S. businessmen sharing in the spoils while ignoring the brutality.

    By 1958 Mafia thug Meyer Lansky had opened his plush Riviera Hotel and his brother Jacob Lansky ran the famed Hotel Nacional. In the photo above Meyer Lansky is shown with a female companion as he carried a heavy satchel loaded with cash from one casino's take. The mob raked in enormous wealth in Cuba from gambling, prostitution, drugs, etc., and Meyer Lansky had his fingers in most of it, including the Hemingway Marina that he co-owned with Mafia fan Frank Sinatra. But even as the rebels were nearing Santa Clara, the last prime city before reaching Havana, Meyer Lansky seemed oblivious to the threat...till the Havana Mob had to make quick use of their getaway airplanes and ships in the closing hours of 1958 and just prior to daylight on January 1, 1959.

     That scintillating and fascinating part of U.S.-Cuban history is chronicled beautifully by T. J. English is his classic book: "Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba...and Then Lost It To The Revolution." Among the big financial losers, of course, was Mafia kingpin Meyer Lansky and his beloved Riviera Hotel. In "Havana Nocturne" T. J. English wrote: "Foreign capital worked over the island but the money was not used to address the country's festering social problems -- including hunger, illiteracy, subhuman housing, and a high infant mortality rate. To those who cared to look below the surface, it was apparent that Cuba's startling economic windfall was not being used to meet the needs of the people but rather to pad the private bank accounts and pocketbooks of a powerful group of corrupt politicians and American investors. This economic high command came to be known as the Havana Mob." T. J. English went on to explain that shortly after the Havana Mob had fled in the wee hours of Jan. 1-1959, the outraged rebels unleashed a large truck-load of pigs and let them run loose in Meyer Lansky's former Hotel Riviera, including the upper floors, while everyday Cubans were wildly destroying the gambling casinos and other reminders of the Havana Mob.

    As this photo shows, by daylight on the morning of January 1, 1959, everyday Cubans were so overjoyed and euphoric over the victory of the Cuban Revolution that they were spontaneously destroying the Mafia casinos in Havana.

    For the most part since 1959, the Cuban narrative in the United States has been dictated by the transplanted remnants from the Batista-Mafia dictatorship. But more actual portraits have been painted by superb authors such as Julia E. Sweig, Ann Louise Bardach and, of course, T. J. English.

      I believe that anyone who is unfamiliar with Ann Louise Bardach does not know enough about U.S.-Cuban relations to even discuss the subject. Bardach's classic book is: "Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana."

      And anyone who is unfamiliar with Julia E. Sweig also, in my opinion, doesn't know enough about U.S.-Cuban relations to even discuss the subject. Sweig's classic book is: "What Everyone Needs to Know About Cuba."

     And one thing Americans need to know about Cuba is this: The last time the U.S.-government supported a government in Cuba it was 1952-1959 when the Havana Mob ruthlessly ruled the island so rich U. S. businessmen and politicians could share the spoils with the top Mafia kingpins -- such as Santo Trafficante, Meyer Lansky, and Lucky Luciano. MAY I REPEAT THAT FACT: Prior to the victorious Cuban Revolution, the Havana Mob ran pre-Castro Cuba.

      I also believe it is an insult to the U. S. democracy that well-known and unchecked Counter Revolutionary extremists have been allowed to dictate most of America's Cuban narratives on a daily and very profitable basis since 1959. Propaganda such as "The mob did not 'run' pre-Castro Cuba" has been rammed down the throats of Americans for going on SEVEN DECADES now. The Cuban Revolution did the United States democracy no favors by chasing the "Mob" from Cuban soil to American soil way back in 1959.

Historic & Topical truths are needed.

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