ALA and Cuba: Who's Afraid of Nat Hentoff?

-- Library Journal, 1/26/2004

At the Midwinter Meeting, the ALA Council struggled with a range of political questions, most notably how to respond to the arrest of Cuba's "independent" librarians--a controversial issue that received a lot of press. Nervousness over the debate on Cuba was fueled by several columns by syndicated columnist (and winner of ALA's Immroth Award for Intellectual Freedom in 1983) Nat Hentoff, who attacked ALA for not demanding the release of imprisoned "independent librarians." Hentoff actually phoned several library leaders, including staff at Library Journal, and threatened to write more hostile columns if ALA didn't take the position he demanded. Ultimately, Council adopted a Report on Cuba based on the findings of a task force of members from ALA's Committees on International Relations and Intellectual Freedom.

By adopting the report, ALA joined IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, in efforts to support and assist the Cuban library community to safeguard free access to print and electronic information, including the Internet. ALA continued its call, with IFLA, for the elimination of the U.S. embargo that restricts access to information in Cuba and for lifting travel restrictions that limit professional exchanges. ALA joined IFLA to express "deep concern" over the arrest and long prison terms of political dissidents in Cuba in spring 2003 and urged the Cuban Government to respect human rights defined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ALA, again with IFLA, urged Cuba to eliminate obstacles to access to information imposed by its policies, and supported an investigative visit from the UN Commission on Human Rights.