Paul Coverdell: “This legislation, Mr. President, is directed at a dictator and regime that has engaged in the violation of human rights…”

“This legislation, Mr. President, is directed at a dictator and regime that has engaged in the violation of human rights of their own people and others, murder, terrorism, exportation of revolution, and has been an open adversary of the United States of America and her people. To put it in context, there have been decades of pursuit of the objectives I just referred to. In 1959, Cuba aided armed expeditions against Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. During the 1960's, Cuba backed attempts to develop guerrilla insurgencies in Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia. In the 1970's and the 1980's, Cuba had 50,000 troops in Angola; in Ethiopia, 24,000; and in Nicaragua 1,500. By the end of 1960, the Cuban Government, under Fidel Castro, had expropriated all--all--private United States property in Cuba. We all remember--or should remember--the confrontation between the United States and Cuba and the Soviet Union as they attempted to put hostile missiles on Cuban soil, directed at the United States.”