William Helms: “the day following the 1994 elections, I met with reporters in Raleigh to discuss in some detail the priorities I…”

“the day following the 1994 elections, I met with reporters in Raleigh to discuss in some detail the priorities I intended to pursue as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. High on my list of priorities was to do everything possible as chairman to help bring freedom and democracy to Cuba. Fidel Castro's brutal and cruel Communist dictatorship has persecuted the Cuban people for 36 years. He is the world's longest-reigning tyrant. That is why I am introducing today a bill titled the ``Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act'' as my first piece of legislation as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Let me be clear: Whether Castro leaves Cuba in a vertical position or a horizontal position is up to him and the Cuban people. But he must-- and will--leave Cuba. There are some voices murmuring that the United States should lift the embargo and begin doing business with Castro. I categorically reject such suggestions, because for 36 years, both Republican and Democratic Presidents have maintained a consistent, bipartisan policy of isolating Castro's dictatorship. There must be no retreat in that policy today. If anything, with the collapse of the U.S.S.R.--and the end of Soviet subsidies to Cuba--the embargo is finally having the effect on Castro that has been intended all along. Why should the United States let up the pressure now? It's time to tighten the screws--not loosen them.”