From: dmr@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Daniel Rosenblum)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Subject: Racists oppose Afro-Cuban appointee to State Dept.
Summary: Cuban-Amer. Nat'l Foundation opposes Afr.-Amer. appointee
Keywords: Mario Baeza, Assistant Secretary of State for Latin-American Affairs
Date: 25 Jan 93 19:39:24 GMT
Organization: Rutgers University, Graduate School of Management, Newark, N.J.

The Clinton administration either has nominated or is about to
nominate Mario Baeza to the position of Assistant Secretary of
State for Latin American Affairs.  Baeza is an Afro-Cuban and a
resident of Englewood, New Jersey.  Although his political views
are not at all left wing (he's a lawyer in a Wall Street law
firm, one of the few African-Americans to rise to a high position
in such a firm), he is being opposed by the very right-wing Cuban-
American National Foundation, which regards him as soft on
Communism.  In fact, one member of the C-ANF said that they didn't
want a Black person representing the interests of Cuban-Americans
in the U.S. government!

The Congressional Black Caucus is organizing to support Baeza.
Unfortunately, Robert Torricelli, the Congressman who represents
Baeza's district, is opposing him, because Torricelli (a former
liberal) seems to have staked his political future with the right
wing in the Cuban-American community.

If you're disgusted with this sort of opposition to Baeza, it is
important that you contact the White House and your United States
Senator now to register your views, since a final decision on
this will be made in the next day or so.  You might also want to
say that you are against the undue influence that the Cuban-
American National Foundation, an organization that represents the
most right-wing diehard opponents of Castro who won't stop at
anything to have their way, on U.S. foreign policy.

Key phone numbers to call if you want to express your views on
this matter are:

CALL PETER TARNOFF, third in command at THE STATE DEPARTMENT:
     Phone number 202-647-9117
     fax 202-647-4780
 
CALL WARREN CHRISTOPHER, SECRETARY OF STATE
     Phone number 202-647-5291
     fax 202-647-0122

**STATE DEPT. PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
202-647-6575       202-647-0122 (FAX)

TO CALL THE WHITE HOUSE:  202-456-1414
TO FAX (ADDRESS LETTERS TO PRESIDENT CLINTON) 202-224-2237

SANDY BERGER (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
AFFAIRS)   202-456-2883
                           **********
Senator Bill Bradley of NJ is playing a critical role in support
of the CANF candidate and in opposition to Baeza. Calls and
letter to his office, particularly from New Jersey residents, are
especially important.

SENATOR BILL BRADLEY  202-224-3224 (TEL)  202-224-8567  (FAX)
 
CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES -- 202-224-3121
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This information was taken from postings on misc.activism.progressive,
which were in turn based on information from the Interreligious 
Foundation for Community Organization.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL IFCO (THE INTERRELIGIOUS FOUNDATION FOR
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, INC.) AT 212-926-5757 OR 612-378-0062
-- 
Daniel M. Rosenblum, Assistant Professor, Quantitative Studies Area,
   Graduate School of Management, Rutgers University (Newark Campus)
ROSENBLUM@DRACO.RUTGERS.EDU                      ROSENBLUM@ZODIAC.BITnet
dmr@andromeda.rutgers.edu          ...!rutgers!andromeda.rutgers.edu!dmr