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# 14-00000Back in Miami, federales actir. on State Department interpretation o antiquated neutrality laws entered Alpha-65 headquarters. The search warrant alleged that there was evidence that 1( Al66-בלק had launched its attacks from U.S. territory: 2) Cubans were raising funds illegally for bellicos: purposes; and 3) all of this was teing done to attack a nation with which the U.S is "at peace, to wit: Cuba."Of the 37 items impounded, those of military significance were "one large carton filled with military-type web equipment...one military-type ficid pack...and one farge cardboard carton filled with plastic military-type canteens." With such evidence, Army-Navy surplus stores could be indicted.Greater attention was given to files containing the names of contributors. These held special interest because the wording in the warrant found "financial contributions and disbursements to ob-taia boats and other supplies" possibly prosecutable.Can the State Department be serious? If this section of the law were applied Impartially, how maay Jeus nou'd today te under indictment for openly soliciting funds for the purchase of bellicose materials for a foreign nation-Israci?How many senators and congressamen would today have erg on their faces for participating in fund-raising func-ions, publicly organized and propagan lized, for that very purpose? That is how he Cuban community sees the matter.This author has no particular objcc. il ion to fund-raising by Jewish groups in he United States. Cuban exiles certainly lo not. Indeed, Cuban Jews in exile have ontriouted substantially to Israci's war best. They are furious when they, as Cuban, try to do the same for the liberation of their country, only to find a double Sandard Lnd against them. Nor are hey happy to see their contributions go own the drain when overzealous federal Gicials seize equipment belonging to xile groups.But what blew it for Miami's 350.-30 Cubens was an "edict" read to them by the hapless State Department representative in Miami.According to the heads of exile action coups called to his office, the repre-entative stressed that "the spirit as sil as the law" will be upheld. He is id to have told them that fund-raising or a bellicose purpose is definitciy out-de the law and warned them not only ould they be prosecuted should they unch an attack from the U.S.. but ould also be stopped from using an-her Latin American country for that urpose.The exact wording in the i. Juction from the State Department reads: "We would like to mane it clear that if there is sufficient evidence of activity based in the U.S. for any such military expe-dition, then the fact that a third country is used as a staging area would not preclude the U.S. from processing to enforce its laws."When the story of State Department policy hit the streets, the Cubans exploded. Cuban students from the University of Miami and Dade Junior College (Dade's 20,000 students comprise 8,000 Cuban students) marched on the Federal Building; 60 Cuban lawyers challenged the validity of the State Department position: ccctors, dentists, educators, professional groups-57 of them-published a lengthy statement in the Diario las Americas newspaper. Part of that statement reads:"Title 18, Section 960 of the U.S. Code (invoked against Alpha-) prohibits certain actions from being taken against a nation with which the United States is at peace-'s friend Cy nation. Clearly, Fidel Castro is not at peace with the United States or nations of the Western Hemisphere and, by breaking diplomatic relations with Cuba on Jan. 3, 1961, the United States recognized that Cuba is hardly a friendly nation."REMINDER: We still have nearly 700 school libraries to go in filling our commitment to them for the fall. If you have not contributed in 1970, please do so now. Much of you have received a prepaid envelope. Place your contribution in it and mail today! Time is getting short."We conclude," the signatories said, "that this part of the neutrality laws cannot be applied against Cubans who are fighting for freedom."Sen. Strom Thurmond (R.-C.) and Rep. William C. Cramer (R.-Fla.) strongly support the Cuban exiles in their interpretation of the law.The most recent law outlining U.S. policy toward Cuba was promulgated and signed by President Kennedy on Oct. 3, 1962. it states that the United States .is "to work with the Organization of American States and with freedom-loving Cubans to support the aspirations of the Cuban people for self-determination." Furthermore, the United States is signatory to four inter-American pacts and treaties which clearly are designedto combat Fidel Castro's Communist regime.In any event, this most recent action by the Department of State lands relations between Cuban exiles and Washington at their lowest ebb since the Bay of Pigs failure nine years ago. Observers are now thoroughly convinced that the State Department is out to "get" them and willing to employ any subterfuge to do so.One of these subterfuges, say the exiles, is a recent indictment against Andrés Nazario Sargen, head of Alpha-66. Sargen is charged with having "conspired" to purchase arms allegedly stolen from a U.S. arsenal in Connecticut. His bail was set at $100,000, then inexplicably reduced to a mere $2,500 and Sargén asked to plead guilty to be let off on a light sentence.These shenanigans, say the Cubans, rmean that lacking proof that Alpha-66 launched its attacks from U.S. soil, the government will use other means to intimidate exile action groups. Legal action taken against Sargen, they argue, is simply the caper-beaverism on the part of what they believe to be pro-Castro functionaries in the Department of State.On the other hand, the Department of State has its case. Many officials are only slightly less enthusiastic than Cuban crites to see the end of Castro's Communist regime. But they argue that the half measures taken by Cuban exile groups are not effective and merely serve to embarrass the United States. Others claim that the Alpha-66 attacks were merely ill-timed, providing Castro with an "excuse" to lay the failure of his sugar crop at the feet of "CIA operatives" based in the United States.As to this latter claira, those who know Fidel Castro also know that he needs no excuse to gather the mobs and denounce the United States. The history of his 13 years in power bears full witness to the truth of this view.## To Viable PolicyWhat really comes through in all of this is that Washington has yet to come up with a viable policy toward Fidel Castro to put a stop to his subverting Latia America and even the United States. The only absolute factor in the conduct of foreign affairs is the premium placed en initiative. We don't have it; Castro does.The State Department cannot merely "wish" Castro out of power, and its policy of "economic denial and diplo-21477