by Jean-Guy Allard
Sept. 24, 2007
Reprinted from Granma International

Deeply disgusted by the many injustices surrounding the case of the Cuban Five, Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to General Colin Powell, has published an open letter in which he not only denounces the situation of the Five, but calls for public demonstrations in support of the five anti-terrorists locked up by Bush’s government.

Wilkerson, a retired U.S. Army colonel and assistant to former Secretary of State Powell, said he based his courageous stance on the Five largely on his extensive knowledge of the George W. Bush administration.

Wilkerson said that he became convinced that defending the Five was a just cause after attending a Sept. 12 lecture by defense attorney Leonard Weinglass at Howard University Law School.

"I was stunned by what counselor Weinglass revealed," Wilkerson commented.

The former colonel was a right-hand man to Powell for most of 16 years, including while Powell was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and while he was Secretary of State. His other posts include serving as director and deputy director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia.

After recounting in detail the facts and arguments laid out by Weinglass, Wilkerson commented that on how the case "sort of takes the cake: to punish with life sentences men who came here to determine how and when their country was going to be attacked by people breaking U.S. law.

"These men were unarmed, not intent on any physical damage to the United States, and were motivated to protect their fellow citizens from invasion and repeated attacks by Cuban-Americans living in Florida.

"And we have to ask also, just how is it that we have become a safe haven for alleged terrorists? How is it that we—the United States of America—may rate a place on our own list of states that sponsor terrorism?

"If the facts are as counselor Weinglass reported, this case is truly the bottom of the pit. I had great trouble believing it, but I had nothing with which to refute Mr. Weinglass' superbly delivered presentation. But more than that was my four years inside the Bush Administration. You see, I know the depths to which our government is capable of sinking. Torture. Lies. False intelligence. Tyranny.

"Is the continued failure to resolve fairly this case against the Cuban Five, even though it began in the second Clinton administration, really so unbelievable when cast against the characters of the current administration?" he asked.

Wilkerson concluded his letter by inviting readers to talk about the case with congress members. "This is a travesty," he said, noting that "America has many disastrous actions chalked up to its discredit at the moment...

The retired colonel has harshly criticized U.S. policy since leaving the White House in January 2005.

In an interview with the New York Times, he commented that the decision to speak openly about Bush’s policies during his first mandate were "slow in coming," but encouraged by revelations about Abu Ghraib.

The former advisor to Powell described George W. Bush as an "amateur" managing an administration that is murky, stupid and with a tendency toward disaster, both internally and externally.

por Jean-Guy Allard
24 de septiembre de 2007
Reimprimado de Granma Internacional

Profundamente disgustado por las numerosas injusticias que rodean el caso de los Cinco, Lawrence Wilkerson, ex jefe de despacho del general Colin Powell, acaba de publicar una carta abierta en la cual no solo denuncia aquella situación sino que llama al público a manifestarse a favor de los cubanos secuestrados por el gobierno de Bush.

El ex coronel del Ejército norteamericano, quien fue nada menos que el brazo derecho del ex secretario de Estado Colin Powell, fundamenta su valiente toma de posición, en gran parte, con su amplio conocimiento de la administración de George W. Bush.

Wilkerson narra cómo se convenció de la justeza de la defensa de los cinco cubanos al asistir, el 12 de septiembre pasado, a una conferencia del abogado Leonard Weinglass en un anfiteatro de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Howard.

"Me quedé asustado con lo que el abogado Weinglass reveló", comenta quien fue ayudante de Colin Powell durante 16 años, incluyendo el tiempo que Powell estuvo de Jefe del Estado Mayor Conjunto y cuando fue Secretario de Estado. También, entre otras responsabilidades, fue director y subdirector del Colegio de Guerra del Cuerpo de Marines en Quantico, Virginia.

Después de recordar detalladamente los hechos y argumentos expuestos por Weinglass, Wilkerson comenta cómo el caso "llega al colmo: castigar con cadena perpetua a hombres que vinieron aquí para determinar cómo y cuándo su país iba a ser atacado por personas que violan la ley norteamericana".

"Estos hombres no tenían armas, no planearon daño físico alguno contra Estados Unidos, y fueron motivados por la idea de proteger a sus compatriotas de una invasión y de ataques repetidos por cubanoamericanos viviendo en la Florida", subraya.

Y añade: "Tenemos que preguntarnos también cómo puede ser que hemos llegado a constituir un santuario para presuntos terroristas? ¿Cómo puede ser que los Estados Unidos de América pudieran ocupar un lugar en nuestra propia lista de patrocinadores del terrorismo?"

"Si los hechos son como el abogado Weinglass los reporta, este caso alcanza realmente el fondo del barril. Tuve mucha dificultad en creerlo pero, yo no tengo nada para refutar la magnífica presentación del señor Weinglass. Más que eso, yo me encontré durante cuatro años en la administración Bush: conozco la profundidad a la cual nuestro gobierno puede hundirse. Tortura. Mentiras. Falsa inteligencia. Tiranía".

Wilkerson termina invitando a sus lectores a denunciar el caso ante sus congresistas. "Esto es una parodia de justicia", concluye señalando las numerosas acciones que, en este momento, desacreditan a su país.