Hillary Clinton

The Candidate submitted questionnaire and statement.

1. Do you support sending direct U.S. government aid to Cuban dissidents?

Yes___X__ No______

2. Do you support the ability to send direct private aid to Cuban dissidents?

Yes___X__ No______

3. Do you support Radio and Television Martí as a vehicle for providing objective news and information to Cuba?

Yes__X_ No______

4. Do you support restrictions on American tourist travel to Cuba?

Yes___X__ No______

5. Do you support restrictions on Cuban-American family, humanitarian related travel to Cuba?

Please also see statement.

Yes_____ No___X___

6. Do you believe that the United States should negotiate with Raul Castro once it is announced that Fidel Castro has died?

Yes_____ No__X__

7. Should the United States require a new Cuban government to make concessions such as freeing political prisoners or allowing a free press before the United States moves to negotiate with them?

Yes__X__ No______

8. Do you support maintaining current restrictions on trade with Cuba until there is a transition to democracy?

Yes__X__ No______

9. Do you believe the wet-foot/dry-foot policy should be reverted back to the original policy of accepting Cuban refugees into the United States for processing regardless of whether they reach dry land or are intercepted at sea?

Yes_____ No__X___

10. Should United States policy provide for increased assistance for independent Cuban civil society, i.e. independent entrepreneurs, medical clinics, libraries, etc.?

Yes__X__ No______

11. Do you believe in supporting the growth of independent micro-enterprises in Cuba with the goal of helping promote independent Cuban civil society?

Yes__X__ No______

12. Do you believe the United States should negotiate direct mail service to Cuba?

Yes__X__ No______

13. Do you believe U.S. policy should allow for the upgrade of telecommunications equipment in order to facilitate communication between the people of Cuba and their relatives abroad?

Yes__X__ No______

14. Which statement most closely reflects your views on current U.S.-Cuba policy? (you may choose more than one)

I believe current policy is effective and does not need any change___

I believe current policy is effective but is missing a proactive element in support of Cuba’s dissidents___

I believe U.S. policy is not restrictive enough and should be toughened___

I believe U.S. policy is too restrictive and some elements of it should be relaxed___

I believe U.S. policy towards Cuba is a failure and should be completely revised___
Please see statement

15. Do you believe it is important to establish an International Democracy Fund for Cuba through an international or regional body like the U.N. or the O.A.S. in order to provide incentives for democratic change?

Yes__X___ No________

16. Please summarize (1-2 paragraphs) your vision for a U.S.-Cuba policy under your Administration.

Democracy, human rights, and the fundamental freedoms all nations of the hemisphere, including the United States, have struggled to protect, will form the foundation of my policy toward Cuba when I am President of the United States.

Over the last quarter century we have seen an unprecedented movement toward democracy and respect for fundamental rights across the world. Cuba, unfortunately, has remained under one-party rule, under a regime and a leadership that is responsible for terrible human rights abuses and political oppression that has held back 11 million talented and hardworking citizens of the Americas. The Cuban people deserve better.

I believe that this is not the time or place to consider wholesale or broad changes to our Cuba policy, including the embargo. The American people must let the Cuban people know that we are on their side in their struggle for freedom and democracy. We can do this by supporting brave voices for freedom like Oswaldo Paya and the Damas de Blanco. The Castro dictatorship has divided Cuban families for nearly half a century. I have voted to support flexibility to allow visits for immediate family members in humanitarian cases. Such ties give hope to the Cuban people and to their families in the diaspora. And they send a message that the American people recognize that the Cuban people, not their repressive government, represent the promise and possibility for a democratic future.

Likewise, supporting other humanitarian measures that will help bring direct material and moral support to Cuban civil society will help the Cuban people gain the confidence and independence to imagine a society free of repression, one in which freedom and social justice, two core values of the Cuban nation for centuries, can exist side by side.

During my presidency, I hope there may be an opportunity to undertake a review of our policy toward Cuba, because there may be changes and fundamental reforms that merit a new approach. Now, however, is not a time for unilateral steps such as lifting the embargo. We must retain a policy of support for the Cuban people, without strengthening the Cuban regime.