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HARVARD PROTESTA POR LA PROHIBICIÓN
DE INTERCAMBIO ACADÉMICO CON CUBA
Harvard University/Cuba: Retain authorizations for
people-to-people educational exchanges Harvard
University David Rockefeller Center for Latin American
Studies 61 Kirkland Street Cambridge, MA 02138
617.495.3366 FAX 617.496.2802
drclas@fas.harvard.edu
http://drclas.fas.harvard.edu
May 6, 2003
Dear
Colleague,
This
letter asks you to take action on an urgent matter as
soon as possible, and by May 23 at the latest.
On
Monday, March 24, the US Treasury Department's Office of
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the agency charged with
enforcing restrictions on travel to Cuba, proposed new
regulations that will, among other measures, eliminate
the exemption for NON-DEGREE RELATED EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL
TO CUBA.
I write
to ask your assistance in helping to ensure that the
U.S. government's longstanding policy of fostering
scholarly and people-to-people exchanges with Cuba be
maintained by joining me in opposing this amendment to
OFAC's Cuban Assets and Control Regulations (CACR).
The
proposed change in the regulations I refer to would
abolish section 515.565(b)(2) of the CACR, which
authorizes travel-related transactions to, from, and
within Cuba by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction who
are pursuing educational activities that are non-degree
related. By removing this category of travel, the
proposed amendments will greatly reduce the number of US
organizations, which are able to sponsor educational
travel and significantly refuse the number of Americans
who may visits the island legally.
The
removal of important sections of President Clinton's
expansion of people-to-people exchanges instituted in
1999 represent a setback for universities as well as for
the many non-profit organizations, professional
associations, museums, church groups and the like who
have engaged in educational travel to Cuba in recent
years. For Harvard, the new restrictions will result in
the banning of many valuable educational travel
programs. For example, the Harvard Alumni Association's
worldwide educational programs, which have taken
graduates of the University and their families to Cuba
accompanied by Harvard University faculty members
serving as lecturers, will no longer be able to take
place. Trips such as that proposed by Harvard Graduate
School of Education faculty to take K-12 teachers and
educators to learn about Cuba's educational system will
no longer be possible.
The
March 24th amendments are part of a series of steps that
OFAC has taken to further restrict educational and
people-to-people exchanges with Cuban citizens. In the
past year, OFAC denied licenses (or renewal of licenses)
to the Harvard Alumni Association, the Harvard Museum of
Natural History, and the Harvard University Art Museums
on the grounds that their travel did not qualify as
legitimate educational exchange. Similar license denials
have occurred throughout the country. That is, OFAC
appears to have begun implementing the proposed changes
in the regulations even before announcing them.
I urge
you to join me in writing to Secretary of State Colin
Powell, Secretary of the Treasury John Snow and OFAC
itself, which is formally accepting comment on the rule
change until May 23, asking them to rescind this change
in the regulations. In addition, I urge you to send
letters to your own representatives and senators in the
U.S. Congress with copies of your letters to Congressman
William Delahunt and Congressman Jeff Flake, members of
the House of Representatives Cuba Working Group, and
Senators Baucus and Enzi, members of the U.S. Senate
Cuba Working Group. I am attaching a little of the names
and addresses of these officials to this letter for your
reference.
In
advance, I want to express my gratitude for your
contribution to this effort.
Sincerely,
John H.
Coatsworth
Professor and Director
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