We previously discussed how the CIA used a doctor in an international vaccination program to help locate Osama Bin Laden. The use of such a cover violated international agreement and led to other doctors being attacked or barred from areas as suspected CIA operatives. Under huge international pressure, the Obama Administration finally agreed not to use such programs as covers for the CIA this year. However, a new story alleges that the CIA used young, undertrained Latin Americans for spying in Cuba while working as part of a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in dealing with HIV prevention and other subjects.
The report states that USAID hired Creative Associates International, a Washington-based company, as part of a program targeting Cuba’s communist government. These kids from Venezuela, Costa Rica and Peru were paid as little as $5.41 an hour and given little training despite the risks. I am pretty sure that the contractors made a far greater profit.
What is striking is this program was launched after Obama personally heralded a “new beginning” with Cuba in allowing more exchanges and relations. We then used a USAID program to spy on Cuba.
USAID insists that the program “enabled support for Cuban civil society while providing a secondary benefit of addressing the desire Cubans expressed for information and training about HIV prevention.” However, the Associated Press reports that the young workers were meant to “identify potential social-change actors” and came close to blowing their covers and being arrested. The AP quotes the instructions as saying that “[a]lthough there is never total certainty, trust that the authorities will not try to harm you physically, only frighten you. Remember that the Cuban government prefers to avoid negative media reports abroad, so a beaten foreigner is not convenient for them.”
Once again, the alleged deception will hurt not just our efforts in areas like HIV prevention but those of other countries. Since we used foreign students, all such programs will become targets for suspicion and possible attacks. This is precisely what radicals want in countries where they seek to avoid Western influence and medicine.
Source: Politico
Our government is destroying its credibility with one PR disaster after another.
Darren, my comment is not posting. Are you able to find it? Thanks for looking?
Annie and SMM, I’d gone a lot further and say that the USG needs to quit engaging in war all over the world. It also needs to quit spying on everyone in the world.
We need a full stop. As contract companies appear to own most of the govt. they are an immediate problem but our elected officials are playing ball with the whole idea of battlefield earth.
As a people, we need to stop believing the idea that the US is in need of constant war/spying and other misdeeds. We need to stop justifying it for any reason and start building a world that meets people’s needs.
Jill – it is in our own best interest to spy on everyone, friend and foe. They do it to us. We need to do it to them. It has been reported that the Israelis spied on Kerry’s meetings with Hamas.
annie, Yes we need to use our own military and our own unionized government employees as there is more accountability. Why should the taxpayers be paying Booz Allen and Blackwater employees’ salaries?
Bailers, LOL! Great baseball players are sneaking out of Cuba and we’re sending in Little Leaguers.
I’m on board with SWM and Jill regarding contractors. When my daughter was in Afghanistan, she said she saw rows of big SUVs for use by the contractors, plus they housed them in far superior digs than the troops. We need to get away from using contractors for what our own military used to do. It’s not cheaper.
I guess the CIA was too busy spying on our allies and Congress, they had to outsource their spying on Cuba to USAID.
If I were Cuba, I’d be most offended that my country no longer ranks high enough to get the “A” or even “B” team in spying.
Jill is right about the government’s use of private contractors. It is out of control.
This is typical of the contractors hired for everything by their private govt.! Really, they can get experienced killers and torturers from the third world whom they pay $30.00 a day.
To take any kind of medical issue and use it for spying is simply evil. The US uses fake reporters, fake aid workers, fake medical personal and real torturers! We are number 1! USA, USA, USA!
I wouldn’t say the Dems have declared war on whites but I would say this govt. has definitely declared war on brown and black people, along with poor people of any and all colors. That didn’t start with Obama but continuing it, accelerating it, is one more of his many achievements!
Well, what can we say here. More fringe insanity from the leading of the free world. The only good news is that the mountain of debt at some point may take care of itself. I am sure the creeps who think of these programs won’t do it anymore if they don’t get a paycheck. OK, I’ll kick Obama again while we have him down, too–but this ain’t all Obama (we know he didn’t sit down and think this up), it is a bi-partisan scourge in the whole of government.
“It is because of the war on whites according to Lem Luddite” Dredd Yep, some repug congressman from Alabama has declared the democrats have declared a war on whites.
Reblogged this on sea-swoon.
Paul C. Schulte
Nick – Obama has been selected the worst President since WWII. Reagan is the best.
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It is because of the war on whites according to Lem Luddite.
My goodness, if a person can be President without any training or experience, why can ‘t a person be a spy without any training or experience? Of course, they could have always watched Burn Notice for some tips!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
United States Agency for ‘Spying’ on everyone, Even your 90 year old Grandma!
Obama is our “millennium bug.” He’s the Y2K American’s were so concerned about at the turn of the century.
HA HA! – “Reagan the best”
Bias is as bias does; but the facts (through time) speak for themselves.
Spying is a snake business, with dirty tricks being the norm;
to expect the CIA to go by “any” rules overseas – is inane!
That being said – G HW Bush, GWB, torture and the quashing of pure investigations into 9/11 – certainly mean the CIA/agents are an issue that must be mitigated
extensively!
Moon of Alabama, http://www.moonofalabama.org/ makes another point; this was just plain stupid:
The most arrogant and incompetent Administration in my lifetime. Obama’s Bay of Pigs.
Nick – Obama has been selected the worst President since WWII. Reagan is the best.
You would think that Obama would pay his spies minimum wage. This is outrageous. Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for nothing, should be forced to give it back. This is what happens when you send a boy to do a man’s work.