Cuba

Invited by the Cuban president, President Carter, Mrs. Carter, and a small delegation from the Center visited Havana for three days in March 2011. President Carter called for more human rights in the country and urged U.S. officials to end the prohibition on trade.  

While in Cuba, President Carter saw Alan Gross, a USAID contractor who was arrested in December 2010 and was serving a 15-year sentence in a Cuban prison. President Carter urged that Gross be granted humanitarian release. He visited with Cubans of different backgrounds, including key players in government and independent sectors, as well as leaders of Jewish and Catholic communities and political dissidents. President Carter also met with former President Fidel Castro. As he did in his previous visit to Cuba, President Carter used this trip to open further dialogue, promote economic and social reforms, and explore ways to improve U.S.-Cuba relations. 

In May 2002, President Carter —at the invitation of President Fidel Castro — was the first former or sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since the 1959 Cuban revolution. He called on the U.S. and Cuban governments to mend relations.  

President Carter, joined by a delegation that included former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, set out on this historic trip to:  

• Urge the U.S. to end its economic embargo against Cuba, in place since 1960 
• Establish a dialogue with Castro and other government officials
• Encourage Castro to hold free elections, improve human rights, and allow greater civil liberties 
• Meet with Cuban people from all walks of life

Impacts 

After the trip, President Carter briefed members of the U.S. House and Senate, as well as President George W. Bush, on his discussions with Cuban officials. He also went on, the next year, to issue a statement about the detention of Cubans and an open letter to the National Summit on Cuba.  

This groundbreaking trip represented President Carter’s desire to open lines of communication and increase understanding, all in pursuit of improving people’s lives, promoting peace, and advancing democracy.