years later when the Communist Party opened its doors to believers,
the constitution was amended to make Cuba a lay state, and the faithful
plunged into social service and politics with new-found vigor.

An emotional Rev. Jesse Jackson described the Isle of Youth as "the
closest thing I've seen to God's work on this earth," as he called for
the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba.
Castro stated he believed the basic values and ideals held dear by true
Christians and Communists were one and the same, and that he saw
no reason why the two shouldn't join hands to build a better world.

I left Cuba seven years later. I had seen Castro speak perhaps 100
times, observed him deep in discussion on every detail of the country's
life with residents of dozens of Cuban neighborhoods, at gatherings of
students, workers, farmers, administrators, women, journalists, legis-
lators and religious leaders; chased after him as he toured Havana and
Cuba with one world leader after the other; and talked briefly with
him on several occasions.

The first thing that struck me about Fidel Castro was just how "Cu-
ban" he is. Obvious perhaps, but I had tended to think of him in U.S.
and Western terms. Castro's speech, his mannerisms, the proximity of
his emotions to the surface and his willingness to express them, his
energy and fierce pride reminded me time and time again of many
other Cubans I came to know. To watch Fidel Castro in action is to
see a man in extraordinary harmony with his country's human environ-
ment. Cubans don't expect Fidel Castro to be perfect or always right.
Cubans do expect Fidel Castro to be honest, say what he thinks and
feels, listen to their concerns, be right far more than he is wrong, put
the nation's interests above all else, and never surrender.

In this context, Fidel Castro is exceptionally good at his job. As the
First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and President of Cuba,
he has managed to lead and unite his nation. Castro acts as a symbol
of hard work and moral integrity that binds the Cuban Communist
Party, government and majority of people together, no matter how
many disappointments and headaches the average Cuban encounters
in daily life. The Cuban President is also a skilled diplomat. Despite a
30-year U.S. smear campaign against him, Castro remains a popular
folk legend throughout the developing world, one who has forged the
political and economic ties Cuba needs to survive and develop as an
independent nation just 90 miles from U.S. shores. Cuba had normal
diplomatic and economic relations with the governments of over 145
countries in 1991, including every developed capitalist country and
every major country in the Western Hemisphere, except the United

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