Caleb Charles McCarry (born October 24, 1961) was the Bush administration's Cuba Transition Coordinator. The position developed out of the

Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba The United States Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba (CAFC) was created by United States President George W. Bush on October 10, 2003, to, according to him, explore ways the U.S. can help hasten and ease a democratic transition in Cuba. Memb ...

. McCarry described the Commission's purpose as to put forth "an intelligent, generous and above all respectful offer of support to the Cuban people" in efforts to end "the dictatorship

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

has willfully and cruelly divided the Cuban family." His mission was described by the Cuban government as "part of a broader U.S. 'plan for Cuba's annexation.'" McCarry was previously a professional staff member and subcommittee staff director for Rep.

Henry Hyde Henry John Hyde (April 18, 1924 – November 29, 2007) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, representing the 6th District of Illinois, an area of Chicago's ...

and Representative Benjamin A. Gilman who chaired the

House International Relations Committee The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs ...

. He is the son of the novelist and former CIA agent

Charles McCarry Charles McCarry (June 14, 1930 – February 26, 2019) was an American writer, primarily of spy fiction, and a former undercover operative for the Central Intelligence Agency. Biography McCarry's family came from The Berkshires area of western ...

. He speaks Spanish and has a degree in Spanish literature from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

Biography

In 1990, McCarry was director of a

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

n project of the Center for Democracy, an organization designed to "promote the democratic process in the United States and abroad." While a congressional staffer, McCarry was known for oversight of U.S. policy during the rule of

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

an President

Jean-Bertrand Aristide Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...

. In 2004, McCarry participated in the Haiti Democracy Project, whose stated goal is to "Help Haiti Move Forward". In 2013, McCarry joined the staff of the

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...

as an aide to Senator

Bob Corker Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Chair of the Senate Foreign Rela ...

. In 2017, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Spanish Order of Isabel la Católica on behalf of King

Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and h ...

at the Spanish embassy in Washington, D.C. for his contributions to Spanish-American relations. In 2018, he helped to negotiate the release of American Joshua Holt from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n custody. After Corker's retirement, he became a counselor to

Adam Boehler Adam Seth Boehler (born June 23, 1979) is an American businessman and government official who was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the first CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. He is currently the CEO ...

, the chief executive officer of the

U.S. International Development Finance Corporation The United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is a development finance institution and agency of the United States federal government. DFC invests in development projects primarily in lower and middle-income countries. Fi ...

Cuba Transition Coordinator

According to a

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

Online article of April 11, 2006, "He says his job is to help Cubans "recover their freedom after 47 years of brutal dictatorship". The creation of a "Cuba Transition Coordinator" post within the United States government was heavily criticized by Cuban government officials. Shortly after McCarry's appointment, Cuban

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Felipe Perez Roque told the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

that the United States' plans to overthrow the Cuban government are "delusional". Several prominent Cuban

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...

s, including well-known anti-

Castro Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''. ...

activists Elizardo Sanchez and the late

Oswaldo Payá Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas (29 February 1952 – 22 July 2012) was a Cuban political activist. A Roman Catholic, he founded the Christian Liberation Movement in 1987 to oppose the one-party rule of the Cuban Communist Party. He attracted int ...

, said McCarry's appointment was counterproductive, as " will allow the Cuban government to raise the spectre of foreign interference in the internal affairs of our country."

References

Cuban American National Foundation The Cuban American National Foundation is a foundation with the aim of assisting members of the Cuban community in Miami, Florida. Background and founding The Cuban National American Foundation was founded at a time when Republican American polit ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarry, Caleb 1961 births Living people University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni United States Department of State officials Commanders of the Order of Isabella the Catholic International Republican Institute New Right (United States) George W. Bush administration personnel Place of birth missing (living people)

Biography

Cuba Transition Coordinator

See also

References

External links