CUBAN PRISONERS FOR TRACTORS

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP64B00346R000200140055-9
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• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 22, 2004
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - APPENDIX A4745
ve learned there is often nothing for them President Kennedy has said that things either short-sighted, peculiarly narrow
,en they oaf there - .~
Still, some will argue that West Virginia the 195N. In addition, some 3 million which characterizes much of the argument
has no lost enough. One businessman put women will be. returning to the labor force for Federal school aid. There is no rela-
it
blgn ly: "The only solution to our prob- after havin temporarily left it. But normal tionship between the amount of money
em Is death anti migratinn " TT--1-_ _-- - -V-
spent in New Jersey on public schools and
the selective service failure rate.
There are States which spend much less
on schools and have a much lower failure
rate than New Jersey. They are States
which do not attract the undereducated from
elsewhere in the numbers that New Jersey
does. Our State is a mecca for the under-
privileged who seek a better life.
The ADA appeals to passion and prejudice
rather than to reason with these two argu-
ments.
State Senator Sandman, whose letter to
the editor appeared in the forum this week,
offered a real argument against Federal
school aid. He asked why the taxpayers of
financially hard-pressed school districts in
his county, Cape May, should be called upon
to pay $2 to $2.50 in Federal taxes for each
dollar of Federal aid.
The bitter irony of the school aid pro-
posal is that New Jersey is being called upon
to pay through the nose for a Federal school
aid program in order to help supposedly
poor States which tempt New Jersey industry
to move with offers of tax rebates and other
financial advantages.
ment in West Virginia runs 10 to 12 percent, the like-wil yield only 15:500,000 openings.
"??J "?'? has rate 4han in rece2
happened a)? there are rumors what will real change in the
with the years; if anything, it has lessened
with the widespi.ead switch to oil and natu-
ral gas in homes afid industry. The diesel en-
gine has all but replaced the steam engine.
There is increasing competition from resi-
dual-oil imports well.
Certainly there as a lack of preparation
for the inevitable. ;Critics charge there was a
for anything beyo id the increasingly ob-
solete skills they lad already mastered.
A few miners have- left the union to accept
mining jobs at $10* a day-less than half
their wage rate-in{ order to work at all.
Others have bought secondhand trucks and
have gone into the tiisiness of coal mining
on their own. Some; mines, abandoned by
their owners as unprofitable, are being
worked by hand for watever jobless miners
can get out of them.. Still another use of
the mines, putting a half dozen or so coal
miners back to work,' seems almost ludi-
crous--growing mushrooms in their, cool,
dark recesses. i
The result is a paradoi of want and plenty
everywhere, living side by side. Children are
known to take part of their Government
school lunch home to sh re with their fam-
ilies. Some even go Without because, they
don't have the 25 cents o pay for it. Still,
there are towns In the d pressed areas that
are glowing, prosperou , even booming.
Some merchants will tell u that business is
better than ever, and ne -home construc-
tion seems to be at an all- ime high. Either
new industries have boo ted business, or
where the old ones are stil operating-a few
mines, for example-there . ,are men working IN THE HO
overtime. In Oak Hill, from the beautiful
within walking distance oftthe almost de-
Mr. WIDNA
West Virginia is not alon
story. It is being repeated
jobless today is 5,500,000, the m
Close to 2 million have been o
weeks or longer, half of them
clerks and ofxceworkers, 1 of 50 ma
and executives.
tarp of Labor Arthur Goldberg (who dis- New Jersey young men who took the selec-
omy grows at a far faster
and consumer wants,
try, and the depletion
dependent on a
ions depending on
a single goal, of workers; dependent on a
single skill.
The jobless who have exhusted even their
unemployment compensatioi1 must now rely
on Government food allotmel_its (nearly 15
percent in West Virginia). Fgtill, there is
courage and there is faith and there is hope.
Government surplus provides th charity.
There is a look on the face of a man who
is unemployed that is unlike any'lother. He
late his trouble. It would be redo
is right there in front of you.
Where a mine has closed, you oft see the
men who used to work it sitting on he rail-
road tracks leading to the tippl silent,
waiting for something to happen their
lives. The mine itself looks, sole and
black, and strands of grass falling o r the
tracks measure the months it has been
closed. A miner's hands become clean r as
the idle days fall away, but, they say, the oal
never quite washes off. It's part of ht -
place. The good earth, for many, has b
come the sorrowing earth.
Mr. BUSH. Mr. President, the ill-
conceived plan to submit to Castro's
blackmail offer to trade Cuban prisoners
for tractors has collapsed. The tractors-
for-freedom committee, formed with the
backing of the President, has disbanded
after accusing the Cuban dictator of bad
faith in negotiations for the exchange.
Now that this unfortunate adventure
in attempting. to carry on diplomatic
negotiations by other than official agen-
cies is over, I hope that the State Depart-
ment will redouble its efforts to exert
pressures on Castro not only to release
the Cubans in question but especially to
secure the freedom of American prison-
ers held in Cuban prisons.
One such American prisoner is Drexel
Gibson, an American businessman who
was arrested in Cuba on April 19, and
since that time has been impris oned
.
assaic, N.J., When news of Mr. Gibson's imprison-
ment reached this country, I immedi-
oI. Ain ately communicated with the State De-
Piet call- release and have been in touch- with the
Federal
Department numerous times on this
ore the ~.
received is that the Swiss Embassy in
why Havana, through which discussions with
(1) people opposed to the legislation "are gated for "activities against the state."
OF
ILLIAN B. WIDNALL
E OF REPRESENTATIVES
y, June 22, 1961
Mr. Speaker, I be-
in telling tpresent - -- all of -`~-`-`t"- " ""` ?
telling this hi to t argument s and
for
textile spin- 'against the propose program of Federal
rker in Pitts- aid to education. A one who feels that
earborn; an the Kennedy adminis ation proposal is
The toll of a step completely aga' t the best inter-IEN t since 1941. ests of our school system, I submit, under
t of work 15 leave to extend my remar , this editorial
HON. PRESCOTT BUSH
OF CONNECTICUT
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Monday, June 26, 1961
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V
Cuban Prisoners for Tractors
 A4746
Approved COFor NGRESSIONAL RlE3C10RP _ MWIPR000200140055-9 June 26
The Swiss Embassy has requei3ted per- Senator CAPEHART. He was born in Iowa prison in Cuba where there has been no trial
mission to visit Mr. Gibson and organize and you were born in. Connecticut. He was or no conviction.
operating a legitimate business in Cuba. The 22 U.S. citizens, whose names I have
his defense. And they threw him in jail on April 19.' just read to you hays already been sentenced
Mr. Gib son's wife, a COriSt tttt it of Mrs. GIBSON. Yes, the police were waiting from 10 to 30 years each. The shortest sen-
mine who resides in Riverside, Conn., for him when he arrived at his office. tence I find is 10 years-the longest sentence
was in Washington last week and was Senator CAPEHART. Have you heard from is 30 years. And as I said a moment ago, they
interviewed by. the distinguished senior him since? have made no effort to estimate the number
Senator from Indiana [Mr. CAPIHART]. Mrs. GIBSOx. Not directly, with the excep- of Americans that are in Cuban prisons that
Because the information brought out in tion of a paper giving permission for an haven't been tried or sentenced. And Mrs.
this discussion is' of interest, not Only to operation on our son which the Swiss Em- Gibson's husband is in that category. ,The
bassy obtained through a Cuban lawyer for State Department only knows about Mr.'l3ib-
people of Connecticut, but to those who me son because of Mrs. Gibson's efforts to do
are concerned about other Lme',ricans, Senator CAPEHART. What has your Govern- something for him.
held prisoner in Cuba, I ask unanimous ment, the American `Government, done to Now the question, of course, that enters
consent, Mr. President, that a fra:lscrlp- assist you in this matter? - my mind is why is our Tractors for Freedom
tion of the interview may be printed in Mrs. GiBsoN. They cabled Berne, Switzer- Committee, which is willing to have Castro
the Appendix of the RECORD. land, and Berne cabled the Swiss Embassy blackmail us for 500 tractors, interested in
There being no objection, the trap- in Havana, and after 3 or 4 weeks I received the release of 1,200 Cuban prisoners, when we
the information that he was well 3 or 4 are makitig no effort to see that American
ituation
d thi
A
s s
n
script of the interview was ordered to weeks ago. prisoners are released.
be printed in the -RECORD, as follows: Senator CAPEHART. And as far as you know exists all over the world. We have Americans
h accomplished or made imprisoned in China, in Russia, and other
ve
h
a public service Senator HOMER E. CAPEHART
reports to the people of Indiana. Today Sen-
ator CAPEHART has a special guest: Sow here
is Senator CAPEHART.
. Senator CAPEHART. We have been trying
to give to the American people and the
people of Indiana the facts and the truth
in connection with a number of issues fac-
ing them. At times they are not very pleas-
ant because world conditions today are not
pleasant.
But I am one who believes 'Ehai; the Amer-
ican people should" have the fasts. We
ought to tell them the truth. And for that
reason we put on this kind of a program.
Today we have with us as a spedal. guest a
lady, a mother and a wife from the State
of Connecticut, Mrs. Drexel Gibson, of Riv-
erside, Conn., whose husband is a prisoner
in Cuba. I thought that inasmuch as we
are talking today about- giving up i;ome 500
tractors for some 1,200 Cuban clti2ens'that
you should meet Mrs. Gibson wh use hus-
band is in a Cuban prison. Likewise, I'll
give you during this program the names of
22 Americans who are in prison :.n Cuba.
And now we'll meet Mrs. Gibson. How do
you do, Mrs. Gibson.
Mrs. GiBsoN. How -do you do, Senator
CAPEHART.
Senator CAPEHART. You, I believe, lived in
Mrs. GlssoN. I lived there for 2 years. 9? Martino, John V., counter-revolutionary I possibly can to get our Government and
My husband was running the Borli tz School activities, 13 years. other sources to assist,you in getting your
of Languages in Cuba. 10. Roberts, John Howard, hotel debts husband released from this Cuban prison.
Senator CAPEHART. That was a school that (started serving sentence before breakup of Mrs. GIBBON. Well, thank you, Senator
languages? taught Cubans to speak English ?,nd other diplomatic relations between United -States Capehart.
- -
Mrs. G:essox. Yes; they were very inter- and 11. Cuba), 2 Bradley, years. Leslie, plotting invasion, 10 Senator CAPEHART? Thank you very, very
ested in English. much.
Senator CAPEHART. And you wens there 2 years.
12. Peccoraro, Richard-Allen, counter-revo?-
years? lutionary activities, 30 years.
Mrs. GlssoN. I was there 2 pears. I had 13. Nordio, Mario, espionage, 30 years. cod Will Ambassadors Sell -Florid
to return last July because our young son 14. Koop, Juan Pedro, counter-revolution-
had some medical problems. ary activities, 20 years.
Senator CAPEHART. And you returned from 15. Gibson, Alford E., counter-revolution-
Cuba to the United States? ary activities, 30 years.
Mrs. GiBsoN. Yes. 16. Scheidt, Leonard L., counter-revolu-
Senator CAPEHART. And then your hus- tionary activities, 31) years.
band came up later, did he? 17. Beck, George R., counter-revolution-
Mrs. GrasoN. He came up and -visited in ary activities, 30 years.
November. Our son had had tvro operations 18. Baker, Tommy L., counter-revolution-
at that point. My husband went back to ary activities, 30 years.
-Cuba and in March another operation was 19. Beane, James R., counter-revolutionary
expected so he returned then. Ile went back activities, 30 years.
the 11th of April. The invasion wan the 17th. 20. Green, Donald Joe, counter-revolu-
He was arrested the 19th. tionary activities, so years.
Senator CAPEHART. He was arrested the 21. Ponce de Leon, Maria, political, await-
19th of April. That was after the invasion. ing sentence.
Mrs. GIBBON. Two days after they invasion. 22. Gentile, Robert John, counter-revolu-
Senator CAPEH.ART. And he is now, of tionary activities, 10 years.
course, in prison in Cuba. And he is an Now, folks, those are the names of 22
American citizen. You are an American American citizens whoare in Cuban prisons.
citizen. You were born in Connecticut? The State Department tells me that they
Mrs. GIBBON. Yes, he was born In Iowa. don't know how many Americans are in
ey a
vIEw WrrH WIFE OF A:RERICAN that is ail t
laces.
PRISONER IN CUBA any effort to accomplish? - places.
That seems to be all they I am hopeful, as a result of this broadcast,
GIBBON
.
S
have done. that the American people, who are listening
Senator CAPEHART. Well, at this point I will wire me, and wire the President of the
want to say that this is a case where an United States-and demand that our Gov-
American citizen is in a Cuban prison, and ernment do something about this situation.
our Government seems to be making no ef- I think it's ridiculous and humiliating to
fort - to get him released. The so-called think that we show more interest in Cuban
Tractors-for-Freedom Committee seems to prisoners that we do Americans who are in
be taking no interest in Americans that Cuban prisons.
are in Cuban prisons either. The State Department also told me today
I think I ought to read the names of 22 that it has estimated that Castro has some
Americans that were given to me today 50,000 political prisoners. Most of these are
by the State Department. These are Amer- Cubans, of course, except for the Americans.
ican citizens who are now in Cuban prisons: I am hopeful that you people will write
AMERICANS IN PRISON IN CUBA-CRIME, AND me and write your President, and demand
SENTENCE that the Government -do something to help
1. - Shergalis, William J., crimes against the this lady get her husband back. Mr. Gibson
is an American citizen, he was in Cuba on 21, 1960. state, awaiting trial since March against legitimate business. The Gibson have two
the2. R state, awate, awa, Haiting oward trial since March 21, children; they are American citizens and live
M in Connecticut. I hope that we can do some-
1960. thing about this situation. And; as I say,
3. Taransky, Edmund, crimes against the this is not a pleasant broadcast, but I think
state, 10 years. the people ought to know what's going on
4. Danbrunt, Eustance, crimes against the Cuba. You can multiply the Mrs. Gib-
state, 10 .years. sons by many, many times and you get a
5, Carswell, Daniel, crimes against the little idea of the grief in the United States
state, 10 years. on the part of many American citizens as a
6: Young, Austin F., Jr, counter-revolu- result of our people, Americans, lying in
tionary activities, 30 years. prisons in -Cuba and throughout the world.
7, Lambton, Peter John, counter-revolu- Unless you have something else to say.
tionary activities, 25 years. -~ Mrs. Gibson, we thank you very much and
TENSION OF REMARK
of /
H 6N. PAUL G. RO$ RS
IN THE HO SE OF REPRZESENTATIVES
Mon ay, Jive 5, 1961
ci, au v
upswing in buss
persofl-to-person contact.
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 1961
ht to review of the SACB's findings
by
, Ne-
part
gro o es, de-
groups' 'a' 'or
privin_ their members of ma* rights
siXbjecting them to i l prose-
TVes as traitors.
the Ise
L Is that under t e Internal
STcurity on can be
found to e Communist exce t under the
condition I have previously enumerated,
conditions which grant eve reasonable
protection o individual an group rights
and which the Supre a Court has
found, are conformity 'with the Con-
stitution.
Sixth. The Declaratio of Independ-
ence and the ble can n w be designated
"Communist p apagand
The truth is only t1kat all literature
distributed by i mmuMst organizations
the {SACS must ]ndi-
cited as such b
the organization. The
cate the nature o
literature itself eve~ if it were the
Communist man esto-would not be
designated as "Co i~unlst propaganda."
With the help AM the New York
Times, and the Washington Post,
Khrushchev's fifth,
States has succee
in presenting to
not informed on
their readers who,
the actual provisions of the Smith and
Internal Security "Ac
a picture of po-
lice-state America, a America whose
lice-state
Constitution anc Eill o Rights is a Joke,
an America thai has d serted its prin-
ciples and practrices poll ical repression,
an America that is no to er America.
This ad is not only a vi ous detraction
of the United states, it is unconscion-
able whitewas of the Co munist con-
spiracy, the kihd of thing w expect from
Communists, but also the k d of thing
which The ew York Tim , and the
Washington
, 'ost, if they ha any self-
respect, t7o~ The ad
charge ha the Supreme Co rt of the
United States th and
Internal Se~urity Act decisions elied on
two fraudulent arguments; nam ly, that
the Conuntnists are foreign age is and
dvocate forceful overt
that they row of
Com-
ina
writ-
doe-
are
the
fter
very
As
ase,
day,
this
row
ring
this
ub-
,ian
tals
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -HOUSE
the Unite
ings of t
umented
foreign
determi
the Co
very
to the attention of all Members of
House the following fact:
Less than 2 years ago, there was
~Cvai]able in the United States and is b
States.
igents; and that is exactl
ation made by the Court
munist Party was given
fact, its years in Court on
lnt.
10415
sa ing its publication is an event /of ma-
jorimportance. All members of he con-
coun :
co OP co rse, it would be wro to think that
power c Auld be won by parl1 entary means
are deci d by a mere v e could believe
this. M xist-Leninists o not have so
primitive conception of 'lhe coming of the
Mrs.
Wherever
a strong ar
throw of the
evitably take
struggle.
Most of yo k ow, I am sure, that
according tote communist line set by
Moscow-and pted by the U.S, con-
spiracy-the U i ed States is the world's
prime example 0 a country where the
reactionary o geoisie has , a strong
army and poll force at its disposal.
It is, in other A#drds, the country where
armed and v]olen overthrow must take
I cannot helb w ndering why the New
York Times d t Washington Post, if
they want to pre ent the Communist
side truthfully, do of publish some of
the choice ti bits s *h as these from the
"Fundamen Is of arxism-Leninism,"
instead of accepting nd promoting-for
cash-the hmear-A erica lies of the
just what/s fit to prin
VIR. FRANK
oint in the REc
countries the over-
dictatorship will in-
asked and was
d her remarks
Mr. Speaker,
due and
e proper
Presi-
istrict
Dis-
1957
re-
had
running for an elective office his /op-
ponent would blast him out of the
running because the people will not coun-
but 1 true it shows great ?tirelessness in
his attitude toward his pbligations as a
further \explanation /that he is "hu-
man"- atever thjit means-is an in-
of taxpayelit who fneet their obligations,
no matter h w ifficult it may be,
have mad (the ppointment, and now
that it h s been evealed the appoint-
ment s ould be thdrawn. In any
thorn gh investigation nd if the facts
are ,As they have been r orted, refuse
to onfirm this man. We m t keep the
g ernment of our national c tai free
PROPOSED SWAP OF U.S.-BUILT
TRACTORS FOR CUBAN PRISON-
ERS
(Mr. MICHEL asked and was given
permission to extend his remarks at this
point in the RECORD and to include a let-
ter directed to the Attorney General and
his reply thereto.)
Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, Members
of this House are aware that I have
been very critical of the proposed swap
of U.S.-built tractors for Cuban prison-
ers. In the first instance, we pointed
up the difference between so-called agri-
cultural general-purpose tractors and
the much larger track-type, Caterpil-
lar D-8's originally requested by Castro.
Since that time the Tractors for Free-
dom Committee has been negotiating
for the smaller tractors, and while this
does not make the deal any more palata-
ble to me, I was glad to see that the dis-
tinction was drawn and predicted that
Fidel Castro would refuse acceptance of
the smaller units, for he knew precisely
what he was asking for in the first in-
stance. Quite frankly, I thought the
whole deal had fallen through as of last
Friday, but now as of this morning we
learn through the press that the whole
dirty business is being revived.
Mr. Speaker, you will recall that on
June 13 I addressed a letter to the At-
torney General suggesting that this ne-
gotiating committee was acting in vio-
lation of section 953 of title 18 of the
United States Code, the so-called Logan
Act. On June 22-9 days later, after
prompting with a telegram-I received a
reply to my letter. Mr. Speaker, I in-
clude the full text of my letter of June
13, together. with the reply from Attor-
ney. General Robert Kennedy, in their
entirety at this point in the RECORD:
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Washington, D.C., June 13, 1961,
Hon. ROBERT V. KENNEDY,
The Attorney General,
Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
DEAR ATTORNEY GENERAL KENNEDY: It is
my understanding that this morning a
group of individuals representing the so-
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1\
 have
1 tra-
called Tractors for Freedom Dommittee de-
parted the United States for Cuba to nego-
tiate an exchange of 500 '7.S.-built tractors
for 1,200 Cuban prisoners. Aside from the
many facets of this blackmail swap with
which we may be in disagreement, I shall
address myself in this communication to
only one in which I believe there is a viola-
tion of the law.
I would respectfully draw Your attention
to section 963 of title 18 of the United States
Code. This section states:
"Any citizen of the Unf ;ed States, wher-
ever he may be, who, without authority of
the United States, directly or indirectly
commences or carries on any correspondence
or intercourse with any foreign government
or any officer or agent the.reo:`, with intent
to influence the measures cr conduct of any
foreign government or of ar.y officer or agent
thereof, in relation to any disputes or con-
troversies with the United Stsstes, or to de-
feat the measures of the Unites States, shall
be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned
not more than three years, or both."
While there have been nc cc-nvictions un-
der this statute since its original enactment
in 1799 (1 Stat. 613), it has been mentioned
in judicial context on several occasions.
in reviewing the legislative history of this
statute, I find that Thomas Pinckney of
South Carolina said in debate on the bill:
"If an individual goes forward to a for-
eign government to negotiate on national
concerns, what answer could he. give to such
a government when he wits asked, 'Upon
what authority do you come?' He must say,
'I have no power, I am undelegated: but our
administration is either weals o:* wicked, and
will not do what is for the interest of the
country, and therefore I come, because I
think myself more wise, and better disposed
to serve my country than its constituted au-
thorities.' And is there no criminality * * *
In this throwing censure on those who have
been appointed by the people to administer
the Government?., If such an act produces
any effect at all, it must produce a bad one.
Any sensible government mtrst either laugh
at such a man as mad, or conclude that he
is the agent of a deep-rooted party opposed
to the government of the country from
whence he comes. And certainly no indi-
vidual ought to be permitted to do an act
with impunity which might throw so great
a contempt upon the government of his
country." (8-9 Annals of Congress, 2609-
2610).
I would ask -you, Mr. Attorney General,
upon what authority can this committee ne-
gotiate any kind of an agreeme.at with the
head of a foreign government except that
they do so in violation of the ufoxementioned
statute? It would seem to me that until
this question is officially resolved that the
Government should take appropriate steps to
bar the shipment of any tractors or equip-
ment agreed upon by this committee and
which currently are under Government em-
bargo.
I would appreciate having art early ex-
pression from you in answer to the ques-
tion which I have raised on the legality of
the transaction being -negotiated by the
so-called Tractors for Freedom Committee.
Sincerely yours,
ROBERT H. MIC.HEL,
Member of Congress.
Ron. RosEar H. MICHEL,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C.
- DEAR CONGRESSMAN MICHEL::1 refer to your .
letter to me of June 13, 1961, inquiring
whether the negotiations of the Tractors for
Freedom Committee with the Cuban Gov-
ernment involve any violation of the Logan
Act, 18 U.S.C. 953.
That act, the text of which is sot forth in
your letter, makes it a crime for any citizen
of the United States, without authority of
the United States, to commence or carry on
correspondence or intercourse with a foreign
government, with intent to influence the
measures or conduct of any foreign govern-
ment in relation to any dispute or contro-
versy with the United States, or to defeat
the measures of the United States. The act
was passed in 1799 as the result of the pri-
vate efforts of Dr. George Logan, of Pennsyl-
vania, to arrange a peaceful settlement of
States and France, following the failure of are brothers. n
the mission of the special envoys sent by
President Adams for this purpose. The un-
derlying intent of the legislation, as stated
by its sponsor, Mr. Griswold, was to pro-
hibit "an interference of individual citizens
in the negotiations of our Executive with
foreign governments" (9 Annals of Congress
24B9). (See, to the same general effect, 9 An-
nals of Congress 2494 (Mr. Griswold), 2502
(Mr. Pinckney), 2591 (Mr. Bayard), 2617
(Mr. Harper).)
On the basis of the information available
to the Department of Justice, it does not
appear that the negotiations now in prog-
ress by the Tractors for Freedom Commit-
tee involve any interference with negotia-
tions between the Governments of the United
States and Cuba, or any intent to influence
the measures or conduct of the Cuban Gov-
ernment "in relation to any disputes or con-
troversies with the United States" or to "de-
feat the measures of the United States."
The President has stated his sympathy with
the humanitarian objectives of the commit-
tee and the intention of the Government not
to interfere with or put obstacles in the way
of a legitimate private, humanitarian effort.
A copy of the President's statement is at-
tached.
In view of the foregoing, I do not believe
any violation of the Logan Act is involved.
Sincerely,
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
[From the New York Times, May 25, 1961]
STATEMENT or, PRESIDENT KENNEDY,
WASHINGTON, MAY 24, 1961
granted for a humanitarian shipment of
farm implements,
While this Government is thus putting
forward neither obstacles nor assistance to
this wholly private effort, I hope that all
citizens will contribute what they can. If
they were our brothers in a totalitarian
TURE W
e SPEAKER. Under previous order
Yor
[Mr. GooDELL] is recognized for
utes.
ODELL. Mr. Speaker, yester
Mr.
day, J
available
We in
of Agriculture - and through
essional offices will be made
contributid
of our fine
I speak of
made to this volume by one
Itizens from-Fredonia, N.Y.
yearbooks pub
of Agriculture
report was devoted
The tractors-for-freedom movement is a
wholly private humanitarian movement
aimed at saving the lives of several hundred
men. It is supported by free men and
women throughout the Americas.
When Fidel Castro first made his offer to
"exchange" the lives and liberty of 1,200
prisoners for 500 agricultural tractors, the
American people responded with characteris-
tic compassion. A number of private com-
mittees were organized to raise the necessary
funds and many private citizens, in this
country and throughout the hemisphere, in-
quired as to where they could contribute.
My concern was to help make certain that
a single, representative group of citizens
headed this effort in the United States. I am
grateful to Mrs. -Roosevelt, Walter Reuther,
and Dr. Milton Eisenhower for their leader-
ship.
The U.S. Government has not been and
cannot be- a party to these negotiations.
But when private citizens seek to help pre-
vent suffering in other lands through volun-
tary contributions-which is a great Ameri-
can tradition-this Government should not
interfere with their humanitarian efforts.
Neither law nor equity calls upon us to
impose obstacles in their path as they seek
to save those who fought to restore freedom
in our hemisphere. - I am advised that the
Logan Act is not involved, inasmuch as it
covers only negotiations "in relation to any
disputes or controversies with the United
States, or to defeat the measures of the
United States"; that tax exemption is grant-
ed as a matter of course to any "charitable"
organization engaged in the rehabilitation
and assistance of needy refugees; and that
exhort licenses are routinely granted for
in the production of
useful volume.
g held
ths.
Chau-
their annual publi-
ever, the history of
ort. Part II of that
a foundation of the go
have gained."
among the first concern'
settlers on these shores
expand the country thro
our land are being utilized
are an important factor
of the early
nd helped to
sectors of
ay. Seeds
world in the continuing stru
the standard of living of all
of the globe.
Against this backdrop of
attention to seeds, the Dep
the meeting of the American
Association in Chicago, Ill.,
is week.
ed Year
nations
in Rome during the summer in
Approved For Release 2004/03/31 : CIA-RDP64B00346R000200140055-9
10416 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -HOUSE June 26
. The Secretary
ly read-
Approved For Release 2004/03/31 : CIA-RDP64B00346R000200140055-9