Medicine to Cuba
- Share via
* The recent pieces by Gillian Gunn Clissold (Commentary, Jan. 8) and Wayne Smith (Opinion, Jan. 10) accurately portray the halfhearted new policy initiative on Cuba by the Clinton administration. Our relief agency is fully licensed by the U.S. government to provide medical aid to Cuba. What the new policy fails to do is allow us any better means of providing that aid. On Jan. 8, we were forced to send lifesaving medications to a pediatric hospital in Havana by buying a full-fare airline ticket through Mexico to Havana and having a staff person hand-carry an ice chest with the medicines.
Had purchases of medicine directly by the Cuban hospital been legal, had businesses like Federal Express been able to service Cuba directly from Miami on their own aircraft, the children whose lives were in jeopardy could have had an assured supply of what they needed without the heroics. Cuba wants to trade and not beg for handouts.
RICHARD M. WALDEN
President, Operation USA
Los Angeles
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
