Remembering a freedom fighter

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Dec 22, 1997

The loss of Jorge Mas Canosa, chairman of the politically powerful Cuban American National Foundation, is being mourned by freedom fighters among the 1.5 million-member Cuban-American community and their many allies. Mas, 58, advocated no compromise in pursuit of the goal of wrenching the captive island from the hairy embrace of dictator Fidel Castro. When asked if he would consider meeting with Castro for the purpose of dialogue about Cuba's future, Mas gave an emblematic reply: "Enemies meet for only one reason, to surrender or to accept surrender. And we Cubans in exile are not going to surrender,"

Mas, who rose to an eminent leadership role in American business and politics, arrived penniless in the United States after Castro's revolution. While prospering and expressing gratitude to the free-enterprise system that enabled his success, his eyes never left his home land. A staunch supporter of former President Reagan, he was the firm and sometimes controversial guiding light of Radio Marti, established in the Reagan era to broadcast news and information to Cuba as an alternative to communist media.

"If Fidel Castro takes some comfort in the passing of Jorge Mas Canosa, he's very mistaken," said Sen. Robert Torricelli, a liberal New Jersey Democrat who supports restoration of democracy on the island. "At some point the movement for Cuban freedom became larger than the man and is now irreversible." Mas was considered by many to be a likely candidate for president in a post-Castro Cuba. Francisco Hernandez, president of the foundation, solemnly offered assurances to those who view Mas as an irreplaceable leader. "This institution counts on men and women who were close to Jorge Mas Canosa from the beginning and were nurtured by his thoughts and his bravery," he said.