October 11, 1983
The Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (S. 602), which I signed on October 4, 1983, was adopted
with broad bipartisan support in the Congress and responds to an important foreign policy
initiative of my administration: to break Fidel Castro's monopoly on news and information within
Cuba. For the first time in the 25 years of Communist domination of Cuba, the Cuban people will
be able to hear the truth, and to hear it in detail, about Cuban domestic and foreign policy. The
Cuban people will be in a better position to make Cuba's leaders accountable for their conduct in
foreign policy, economic management, and human rights.
I would have preferred to place Radio Marti under the Board for International Broadcasting
instead of the Voice of America, because the distinct nature of its mission is akin to that of Radio
Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Nevertheless, I am satisfied this legislation will permit the new
Cuba service to broadcast programs that promote freedom in Cuba, while maintaining the historic
high standards of the Voice of America for accuracy and reliability. This kind of broadcasting is
25 years overdue.
Note: As enacted, S. 602 is Public Law 98 - 111, approved October 4.