October 1, 2004
Via Facsimile: 202-736-7262
The Honorable Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Powell:
I am writing to express the deep concern of the American Association of University Professors, the paramount organization in the United States devoted to advancing the principles of academic freedom, over the reported decision of the Department of State to deny visas to all 65 Cuban scholars scheduled to participate next week in an international conference sponsored by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) to be held in Las Vegas.
We understand that scholars from Cuba have attended similar conferences in this country before. We also understand that officers of LASA had been meeting with the State Department's Office of Cuban Affairs since May of this year to avoid last-minute problems that characterized previous requests for visas, that the department informed the scholars of its negative decision only last Tuesday, and that the blanket denial of visas to a group of Cuban scholars is unprecedented. A spokesperson for the Department of State is reported to have explained the department's decision as follows: "Restricting access of Cuban academics to the United States is consistent with the overall tightening of our policy. Our policy is not about restricting academic exchanges or freedom of expression. It is the Castro regime that does that through restrictive issuance of passports and exit permits only to those academics on whom it can rely to promote its agenda of repression and misrepresentation."
We do not see how the Department of State can, on the one hand, deny visas to foreign scholars because their government is seen to "promote [an] agenda of repression and misrepresentation," and, on the other hand, affirm its commitment to freedom of expression. This Association has long held that the free travel of scholars is an indispensable part of academic freedom. We ask that the Department of State not bar scholars who wish to enter this country for legitimate academic reasons. We do so out of the conviction that the unfettered search for knowledge by foreign scholars meeting with academics in the United States is indispensable for the strengthening of a free and orderly world. We urge that the State Department reconsider its decision and issue visas to the Cuban scholars.
Sincerely,
Roger W. Bowen
General Secretary