Fidel Castro’s grand-nephew tried to deliver a secret letter to Donald Trump warning that Cuba was preparing for a possible US incursion, according to a report.
Raúl Rodríguez Castro, the grandson and aide of Cuba’s former leader Raul Castro, gave a letter to a businessman in Havana in the hope that it would reach the White House, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a US official.
The letter was formatted like a diplomatic note and was emblazoned with an official Cuban seal. It proposed economic and investment agreements as well as sanctions relief for Cuba.
Roberto Carlos Chamizo González, 37, a Cuban businessman involved in private, high-end auto rentals and luxury tourism who was tasked with delivering the letter, was sent back to Havana by an agent of Miami’s Customs and Border Protection, who obtained the letter.
The letter followed a series of remarks by the US president indicating he is preparing for a military operation in Cuba.
Two sources familiar with the matter told USA Today on Wednesday that contingency plans are being developed in case President Donald Trump orders an intervention on the island nation.
Trump has not announced plans to invade Cuba, but has previously floated the idea, stating last month that he would have the “honour of taking Cuba” and will “do anything I want with it”.
Sources also told Zeteo earlier this week that the Pentagon was given a directive straight from the White House to prepare for possible military action in the Caribbean.
The White House did not answer questions from the WSJ about whether it had received the letter, and it is unclear why the courier was stopped at the airport. The Independent has contacted the White House for further comment.
The letter marks a surprising attempt to open discussions between Havana and Washington, seeking to woo Trump with an economic deal which leaves most of the regime in place, similar to his resolution in Venezuela.
“The Cubans appear to be attempting to circumvent [secretary of state Marco] Rubio and get a clear message directly to Trump,” said Peter Kornbluh, one of the authors of ‘Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana’, told the WSJ.
“This effort suggests that they no longer trust Rubio to be a dispassionate interlocutor and want to appeal directly to the president to resolve the escalating crisis.”
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