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IUITli: 205
September 20, I 99S
SC11ntor W. Cohen
United States Senate.:
Washington, I) r.. 2051S
Re: "Th<' Cuha Liberty 1111d Dtmo('1'1III<' SoliJuily J\C'f'
Dear Sen:11or·
My dicnt Amstar, along with lhouso..nd~ of otl\Cf ll S c:iti;cn hoh.h:1 s 01· dai,m
ccrlilied against Cuba in the J960's by the Foreign Claim~ Scltkmcnt C-Ommi:.sion, ,viii
suffer devaMating economic injury if T1tlt- 111 of Scnulo1 I lclm' i; bill (forr11('rly S :;is I) is
p?.s~e<l 11~ w1 nmendme:nt 10 th~ l'orcign O~ntions Appropria1ioM !!ill. 11 i~ foi this
n::a~un 1h01 J am writing.
It is absolutely fal~c th11t Title JIJ hAs been revised in w11ys lhnl m:ilce it 110 tense,,
violative of both intemationul lnw and the right& anrl inlcrc~t:1 of U.S. ci1izens holdine,
claims cerrifie~ against Cubn pursu~nt to the J964 Cuhll Claims /\ct. As you know, ·1 itlt11 I ?.!lows h1w~uilS 10 be brought in the foder.tl cou1 l.li aiainst Cub:i 11nd privinc indivi<lo.1is
c.iLhcr living in or doing busint.it.>: in lllllt coullll)' with respect 10 rropcnic.~ taken Ii urn
1heir owners for the mml µw LLhirty-five years l\go. J>amllgc.'< 1ll'c rcc.;uvcll\l.,lc itgainst Cuba
and other:< fu1 L1cble the current valut- ofTho:1c p10~, tics. Contrary to intcrnAtional l"w.
it milkes 110 di.tforence unrler Title Ill whc:ll1er ~ litig11nt was ii U S citi1.1.,i 111 lite ti111c the
property in Cuba \Vc\.S taken. lnd.::ed Title Ill is specitic.\lly designed tu ll,iv1: subsequemly
naruralizod Cuban Amcric1111$ s1.ntulOl)' lawsuit righrs ag11ins1 Cuba o!' 11 type th.it we as .t
nation h.av~. never hcforc given anyone else - even tho.~c who wc1 c U.S. citi1.en~ at lhl'
time of their foreign propetty losses.
Title Ill ofScriator Helm'i; 11mcntl111ci1\ will produce !he followins con~cqucnct::. if
en11c.ted in iU pre,:enl form:
* Our federal courts will be deluged in CUbll-1clntcd litigation. On August 2S,
199S the Nal/()(IU/ Low J()Unml (attached) rcponed rlw :rno.ooo - 430,000 lawsuits are to
be expected from Cuban A.n'l«icans if Title m ii, cnaclcd. According to judicial Impact
anal~tli i1t the Administrative Offic.c of the US. Courts c11ch of these suits will average
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$4,500 m costs, whether they i:io to trial or nol. 1'hctcforc tlte .1dmmis11 ttriv<" com tu th<'
court:1 lllono of Title HT will reach nrarly S2 billion
* lf we. enact Title Ill tho~c ~,'Jl I cl.iinwnt.~ ~rtific::d under rhc l%'1 C:ul:>1111
Claims Act will see their prospects of rcc.oved11K e<1mpensalil)11 from .1n imp<>V<'Jrshcd
Cuba dilutw to vinually nothing in 11 seu of Cuban American ,faims (To put rhi:. m.\ll('r
i11to Cllnlext, the Dep.1nme111 of Slate has ~1irrn1red Cubnu Amencan IJl<>J'ICfl)' claim.~ 111
nearly $95 billion). 1t is critical that it be understood that a clllim ,.crtified hy the Foreign
Claims Settlement Commission cousticutes ~ pruperry interest I lf Congi1:s..~ cn:1c1s Tirh~
l1l wit.It the foreseeable cft"oct of uc:-:troying the v11lue of the S6 billion (accordmg to S11M
DepAtUncnT liglires) in claims helcJ hy America11 ci1i1.cns. it ~hn111c1 expect to inde11111ifx
chose citi:tcn5 somedtly, under the 1:;nh /\rncndmcnt's .. takin~ clause", 10 the full anlOlJIII
of 1hoir economic injury. If Title lU i~ made l.iw, the AmeiiC11n taicp~yc, will quite'.
p,ohably somlXltty dt:m11nd 11.11 c.:.xpl,1nation tts to how 011 e11rth he or shc h11~ b<·l'll fv,c<Xi 10
step iuw The shoes of tho Cuvttn ~ovcrn111c11t and com~n.<>are U.S. companie$ 1111d
individuals for their property losses in C.uhil over tltli Ly-five ye:11 s 11go
* If wc violAte intcrnatioo11l l.:iw llncl long-s1a11cJine U.S. 11<.lherenoe 10 thllf l.1w by
en.1cting Title 111 and conferring rct1 ou.tive righl.:1 upon ll1J1t· lJ. S. n.,1io11als :11 1ime vf
foreign properly losses, history ttlls us lluit we will 11CJI ht:. pcrmhtcu 10 stop with <.'uban
A.meticun~ The equ1tl protcc1io11 provi$ions o{ the Constiluticlll will 11ot rol<'J'lltc li111it1nt
the conferral of 511ch lltl impnrtAnt benefit .\S a fed1.ial richt of action on only one of ou1
m:iny 1111tion<1I· origin groups \ltbo~u members hitve suflercu p11~t foreign propl•rty lussc~ If,
u will su,cly happen, 11 former South Victname:ic .1rmy offic<.:r who is now ll Lt.S. cilizP.n
~ies in order to gain the s.1me right actorded Cuban Amci icans to rccovt".r da1n~~cs for
property c-.<propriations he suttetd. who. if Tille lll is crn1r.ted, is pr~pared tu 11,1y he
should uot have such n right? 011 wltnt principled basis would such ~ right be de11iccl him if
given by Congress lo Cuban Amcrir.ans'! Wluu about Chinese I\J11crir--'n$, Hungarian
Ameri~ns. Iranian Americans, G,c<:J.: An1eric1rn~.. Paleslini.1n AtnCJ iciln~. Rus.~i:in
Amcri~ns. Polish AmeriCllll~? Are we ~oing to clciu1 :nirprise when tile court1, ttJI us tl111t
the equiu protection of laws r~uiremcnt of the C<>nslitution ma.ndntt..1' thAt e.1ch of these
national-origin sroups tt..-ceivo the :111me rig.ht vf action 4gain~t th~ir fo1111cr governmcng
that we aro propo~ns to give CubAn /\mcri<=-'n:i by virtue of Title ll P How many such
suits might wo then expcGt from these olhcr ~tion:il-origin group:<., and ~t what cosl to
hoth the 1111tional treo.sury and our relations with tho mru1y countries thar will cud up being
sued in our federal courts? lt rou11t also be kc...-pt in mind that U.S. comp.,nies ll111r have
, invc.~ed in vwiaus coualri~ .where our naturaliic.xi citizc1lll h~vc rroµ1.:ny d4illl) (e ~.
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Vietnam) will be held liable for ~o-callcd ·1ra!licki11~" i11 thus..: duirrn:J 111uµc1 u1:~ if 'Jilk
111 is enacted and c:<t1:1K.!cd w11::1tiluliu11ully lo other 11,Hional-orig111 !:,rOup~ ..
* The multitude of'lawsuits thllt will be iilcd pursu<'lnt 10 TIiie Ill will ov1"1 11ml'. hr.
conwrtcd to finlil judgmcms a~.unsl Cuba, AJ'ld a.s such will C<mstilutc d runnmg s,i1 ~·
prohlc.:rn for lhe Uniled States. Title 111 l:i.wsuits are explicitly made nondlsm1ssiblc. The
f~cl of hw1dreds of 1housai1ds of Cuban American judgment creditors against Cuba w1ll
m~c il impossible for us to normalize relations with c1 lhendly eove, n111tn1 111 1h;11
country. Aircraft and ships would be seiztd, Cuhan ai-.,;er~ in rhc ll.!'i. h11nking ~ymcm
would be AIIAC'.hM, SMcill produced in Cubu woulu be cxcculcd upoo wh1:11 lhcy u11 ivc i11
U.S. JXJlt:i - i .11 in putsoil of 1e.x>veJ'y of billions of dollars in fodcr:d coun awdrds. Thl·
population of Cub~ (the rru1jority of whom were nor even hom when rhe pr<lrenie~ of rhe
Cuban American judgment cr~ditms were tak1.-n) will bl.: imlcutuml Cur dccudcs lo cum..:
to the judbrments cnter\!J 1181iinsl thci1 counlt v 011 ou, fc&:1 nl coun dockets. I lo"' is such a
llll!.lc of affair:i cornlucivc lo a 1cconciliiuio11 \>et ween Cubans on lhe i~land :md 1he Cuh.in
conununily of1he United States?
The altemauvc lo the pcnn:incnt cslrnnsement 1'i1le Ill l.iwsuits will produc1'
between Cub~ and the United S1a1c.s would or couri:e he tC1r ;i lJ s rresid<--nt tC' ctismisr
the judbrmcnts c;nlcrcd li,l(liinsl Cuott. Notwi1hslll11di11~ tlK: 1JH.>hil>ilio11 ui,:ai11sl s11d1
executive branch action contained in Title lll, it is probable that 1hc courts will uhim,11dy
uphold the dismissals i\S a Jeeitim,m exercise ('If !hi'. prl'.~intnti;il prl'rog;itiVI' f<l ronrl11r1
foreign i1I'fairs.' What then?
The creation of a cause of action by Congrc-.ss ,s obviously not a trivial m:11tcr.
I Jundrcds of thousands of Cub.10 Anicricans will quite propt.rly ,wail lhemsclvcs ol lhc
right of 11ction to he given lh1.m hy 1'itlc ll 1 'I hcsc ca~c:; will rmcccrl incxnr.1hly T<l rini11
judgments. (There a.re rell!ly no defenses ov£tllablc lo Cuuo undc.- Tille lll. ll is u )hi..:l
liiibility stawtc). As tin11l tedcral court judsn,cnts the.y will c"ny the li\ith and credit of the
Unilod SLll.lc:i 8UVC111rn1.11t, with !ill the right~ liflU n.,nc.:dic~ c,f execution lict our in c111r
laws. Wha1 will be the consequence of lhe president e.,,.linguishing these juJ~11n.:11ls 1md
their ooncomiWlt rights of execution?
As~n. 11s in the case or ccnilled clainlc\nts, a t~.detal court judgnlatt is c1 prope11y
inlcrc,t prutcctc<l by the Constitution. Tfthat intcrc~ iA cxting11ii1hed hy prl"!~1rlf'.n1i"I 01·der.
the Fit\h Amendmem "la.kings clause'' with ils duly of Cull compc11.'ialiu11 will he triggem!
If Title III is enacted ii should be with full knowledge thn.t CQ11k1 c:i~ 11111y sumcd11y be
asked by the public tn explain how the Amr.rk~'\n peopl~ came ultim:irely to be li:ihle fo,
tcru ofblllions of dollars of d:im11ges in recompense lo n g,oup ur nun-U.S. Mtionals al
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the tune they lost propcrtil:j in Cul.,11 3 lu u vc:liod of heig.hte.il<ed concern for potcn111d
14uvCCTu11c111al liAbility under the 111kin~~ cfause of the Fifth Amendment, Title JIJ should b~·
~pproached wirh the gre.atesl Cllulio11 1111d )CC.:11 fo1 the li.1bili1y lime bomb th:it 1t is.
* A troubling a.~pcct of Tith; lll 1:i its co111euw1uous disregard of imernation.'.\I l.1w
As :,. nation we and our citizens benefit from inlC".truttional b,w iu a 111y1 ixd or li.11111s, sud1
as overse.\S inve~ment and intclkcluc1I p1opc.:rly µ1ulccliu11 1 1l1c snli:ly vf 0111 diplom:at\
lmll :,ove1 cisn1y over our marine resources. MMy other examples or thC' licnc:tit$ 10 th,~
United. States of 11n intern111ional mle of l11w enuld he given. How can v.-c in future:
rlemand compliance with in1crnutio11ul luw l,y 01her nations if we 11re prepMed to viol:itc
1hnt very lnw by enacting Tide lII? The proponents of lhis leci(lation h,wC" ne.v('.r
satisfacrorily answefed that fundamental question.
To conclude, ~ain proponents of Title ill from outside the. Stnaie. hxve engag1•d
in a campaign to minimize ils s.ignitkancc. lloile-0 down. ih~ir mC"~~ge i~ 1h:11 .1 vo1f. fnr
Title Ul is sn inconse.quential thing For example, they will i.ay that a litig11111 ~nnm m
will not sue C:11ha iti:.elf, hut rather .uiy 11cliu11~ 111c limited lu "1lii1d µu11y 1Jul1ickc1 s•· i11
cou.!i~ J)JO~li¢s. Let there he nu mistake OJI th.is point. Title Ill is an unprecedented
todc:ral co1111 c-.'-'inv: progrAm again~! the nation of Cuba. Section 302 of Title Ill is plain
und unrunl,i~uous in its 111~11i11g. ll is the inesc:ipable conseque11GeS of clult mcMing th.1t
the Senate must .1ddress.
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' See, P:a'!'f!,' ~ M,)()'"f;_'!....&'J:!!!1. ~-upi•. ut ~1'; ""J'huush we W111:luuc tllllt the rresidcne ~s sculcd
pctition.c:r's claims again.~ Jran, ~ dn "nt \!If~ 1h111 the sct1le1nc111 !ms t.tnulu:al.Od p;tiliuticr 's possible
tak.ir~ dwn, u~lll't ugllituC the Uni~ St11c1." (Emphasis added). Juslia; Powell, amcuninJ'. in r~• •:,nt1
disse.nli~ In f\,'ln, h.1d th~ I<\~ -rhc Oovcrn1ne1" 11UJS1 ~>' Ju,t 1.x,111pc;i1~~iu11 when 11 funhas tll¢
m1tion 's !orci311 policy goals by iwnp, as 'h,u~lninl: chips' clainis low!oll~· held Ii)· u 11:lnll'l'\:I)' kw
(ICtSOnS .:ind swjt.:;t tu tlu: juri~tiu11 of our courts.· Id. al 6?l.
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Congressman John Joseph Moakley Papers, 1926-2001 (MS100)
Description
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The Congressman John Joseph Moakley Papers document Joe Moakley’s early life, his World War II service, his terms served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate, and his service in the United States Congress. The majority of the collection covers Moakley’s congressional career from 1973 until 2001. <br /><br />Use the <a href="https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/academics/libraries/moakley-archive/moakley-papers/ms100_pdftxt.pdf?la=en&hash=B12D6C6C7164568D0537E426483AB65CC5DFF80D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">finding aid</a> for a summary of the entire collection, including non-digitized materials. <a href="http://www.suffolk.edu/documents/MoakleyArchive/ms100_findingaid.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a>
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Identifier
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DI-1316
Title
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Letter from Robert L. Muse to Senator William Cohen expressing concern on behalf of his client, Amstar, related to the Title III provision of the Helms-Burton Cuban Embargo bill (H.R. 927)
Date
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20 September 1995
Creator
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Muse, Robert L.
Description
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This is part of a series of documents related to the Helms-Burton Cuban Embargo legislation (H. R. 927)
Source
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Congressman John Joseph Moakley Papers, 1926-2001 (MS100)
Series 03.06 Legislative Assistants' Files: Stephen LaRose, Box 8 Folder 85
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PDF
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English
Subject
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United States--Congress
United States--Foreign Relations--Cuba
Cuba
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Copyright is retained by the creators of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. This item is made available for research and educational purposes by the Moakley Archive & Institute. Prior permission is required for any commercial use.
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<p>View the <a href="https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/about/moakley-archive-and-institute/moakley-papers/ms100_pdftxt.pdf?la=en&hash=97CD508C4A7F337052ABBE22F85910A0E44681B1">finding aid to the John Joseph Moakley Papers</a> for more information (PDF).</p>
<p></p>
Cuba