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Secret diplomacy with Cuba ended in breakthrough deal Secret U.S.-Cuba diplomacy ended in landmark deal on prisoners, future ties
(about 4 hours later)
Three planes cut through the morning skies Wednesday bearing prisoners released in a choreographed exchange that would upend a half century of enmity between the United States and Cuba. The secret diplomacy that would upend a half century of enmity between the United States and Cuba was a year and half in the making.
One plane left Miami for Havana carrying three Cubans who were convicted in 2011 on spying charges. It started with an American overture to Cuba and a series of nine meetings in Canada, beginning in June 2013, according to senior administration officials.
Another plane flew in the opposite direction, transporting an unnamed U.S. spy, jailed nearly 20 years for providing information on Cuban moles in Washington. The process involved an unusual intervention by Pope Francis, who opened the Vatican to help seal an agreement and wrote personal letters to President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro calling for a prisoner exchange and a resumption of diplomatic relations.
The third plane departed from Andrews Air Force Base before dawn for a military installation near Havana. There, the head of the U.S. interests section escorted ailing American contractor Alan Gross, incarcerated for five years for secretly distributing Internet equipment, to the plane where his wife, Judy, was waiting. For a time, the talks stalled on definitions of who was a spy but ended on an emotional high note as three planes ferried released prisoners between the two countries in a choreographed swap.
The back-channel negotiations were conducted not by professional diplomats but by two of Obama’s national security advisers, making it clear to the Cubans that the opening was coming directly from the White House.
Along the way, administration officials from Secretary of State John F. Kerry on down used every opportunity to reiterate that the future of U.S.-Cuba relations was entwined with that of American contractor Alan Gross, whose physical and emotional stamina seemed to be declining after five years in detention.
In four conversations this summer with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Kerry said that relations between the two countries would “never, never” improve so long as Gross was in a Cuban prison, said a senior State Department official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the private conversations.
Wednesday’s stunning announcement that Cuba and the United States were moving toward a normal diplomatic relationship was a policy shift that Obama long ago vowed to undertake.
Although he made it easier for Cuban Americans to send small sums of money to relatives on the island and also to go there on visits, the probable fallout from a more dramatic policy change was too daunting in his first term. But Obama believed that continued, permanent estrangement was untenable, officials said. During the 2012 Summit of the Americas, he was on the receiving end of a barrage of complaints from Latin American leaders over what they saw as a U.S. obsession with Cuba.
Early in 2013, as Obama began his second term, he authorized exploratory talks with Cuba.
On both sides, the governments decided to forgo traditional diplomatic channels and place the talks on the level of presidential administration to presidential administration. The White House chose deputy national security adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes, a trusted senior Obama aide, and Ricardo Zúñiga, the senior National Security Council director for Latin America with previous service at the U.S. interests section in Havana. The Cubans picked comparable aides.
“It was critical that they were identified as speaking on behalf of the respective presidents,” said one official who participated in the talks.
The two teams were purposely kept small, the official said.
“We kept it fairly tight on our side, and the Cubans, I think, did the same on their side,” the official said. “From our perspective, we didn’t want any wrench to be thrown in the gears that could complicate attempts to secure Alan Gross’s release.”
In June 2013 came the first face-to-face talks in Ottawa, which has friendly diplomatic relations with Cuba. Over the next 18 months, the teams had multiple meetings in the Canadian capital.
Havana’s opening proposal was for a spy exchange — Gross for the three still-jailed prisoners of the Cuban Five, who had reported to Havana on the activities of anti-Castro Cubans in Miami. The Americans refused, insisting that Gross was a subcontractor with the U.S. Agency for International Development and had been carrying out a legitimate mission.
But soon, the talks moved into what it would take to reestablish diplomatic relations.
Then, Obama in March visited Pope Francis at the Vatican, and their talk turned to Cuba. Francis, the first Latin American pope, offered to help resolve difficulties between the two countries and subsequently sent letters to Obama and Castro.
It was well into this year before the Americans suggested that an actual U.S. spy being held by Cuba could be released in exchange for three Cubans imprisoned in the United States.
In October, the two teams traveled to Rome to meet with Vatican officials. The deal for the prisoner exchange was finalized there, although talks continued in Canada up through November.
“The Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the wellbeing of their respective citizens,” the Vatican said in a statement congratulating Cuba and the United States on the deal.
Toward the end, events propelled Obama along. After the midterm elections, he indicated that he felt more able to take unilateral actions using his executive powers.
There also were reports that Gross’s condition was worsening. Gross had told visitors he would not see the New Year behind bars. Although he did not look as frail as some reports indicated, there was concern that he was growing physically weaker and despondent over his long imprisonment.
That worry came to an end this week. On Tuesday, Obama spent close to an hour on the phone with Castro, the first presidential-level conversation involving the two countries since Cuba’s 1959 revolution. And Wednesday, Obama spoke from the White House in a televised address to the American people.
“Change is hard, in our own lives and in the lives of nations, and change is even harder when we carry the heavy weight of history on our shoulders,” said Obama, who noted that he was born two years after Fidel Castro came to power. “But today, we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do.
“Today, America chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past, so as to reach for a better future for the Cuban people, for the American people, for our entire hemisphere and for the world.”
Only a few hours earlier, three planes were cutting through the morning skies.
One left Miami for Havana carrying three Cubans who were convicted in 2011 on spying charges.
Another plane flew in the opposite direction, transporting an unnamed U.S. spy, imprisoned nearly 20 years for providing information on Cuban moles in the United States.
The third had departed from Joint Base Andrews before dawn for a military installation near Havana. There, the head of the U.S. interests section escorted Gross to his waiting wife, Judy.
“For them to be reunited for good, it was a very moving scene,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who visited Gross several times while he was in prison and was on the flight Wednesday.“For them to be reunited for good, it was a very moving scene,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who visited Gross several times while he was in prison and was on the flight Wednesday.
On the way home, Gross was elated, throwing his hands in the air when the pilot announced they had entered American airspace.On the way home, Gross was elated, throwing his hands in the air when the pilot announced they had entered American airspace.
“You’re free,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who also was on board, said he told Gross.“You’re free,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who also was on board, said he told Gross.
“I finally know I’m free,” Gross replied.“I finally know I’m free,” Gross replied.
The secret diplomacy that led to the emotional denouement was a year and half in the making. Adam Goldman contributed to this report.
It started with an American overture to Cuba and a series of meetings in third countries, mostly in Canada beginning in June 2013, according to senior administration officials. It also involved an unusual intervention by the pope, who wrote personal letters to President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro, calling for both countries to release their prisoners and restart relations.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke four times this summer with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. According to a senior State Department official, Kerry made clear that the fate of U.S.-Cuba relations was wrapped up with the fate of Gross, whose physical and emotional stamina were declining in captivity.
Kerry told the foreign minister that relations between the two countries would “never, never” improve if Gross was not released, said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details of the private calls.
In the account provided by senior administration officials, Obama authorized the exploratory discussions with Cubans in the spring of 2013. The meetings were conducted by two national security advisers — Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, and Ricardo Zúñiga, senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council. Their first face-to-face meeting with Cubans took place in June 2013.
They met in Canada, which also hosted a series of meetings that continued into November this year.
Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, took a particular interest in the discussions, officials said. When he and Obama met this year, most of their conversation was about the imprisonment of Gross and U.S. policy toward Cuba. This summer, he wrote to Obama and Castro.
In October, the Vatican hosted some of the meetings between the Americans and Cubans, even having emissaries inside the room during the talks. There, the deal for the prisoner exchange was finalized.
“The Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the wellbeing of their respective citizens,” the Vatican said in a statement after the deal was announced.
On Wednesday, Obama spent close to an hour on the phone with Castro, the first presidential-level conversation involving the two countries since Cuba’s 1959 revolution. Shortly afterward, Obama spoke from the White House in a televised address to the American people.
“Change is hard, in our own lives and in the lives of nations, and change is even harder when we carry the heavy weight of history on our shoulders,” said Obama, who noted he was born two years after Fidel Castro came to power. “But today, we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do.
“Today America chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past, so as to reach for a better future for the Cuban people, for the American people, for our entire hemisphere and for the world.”