Florida college professor and wife arrested as Cuban spies

By Bill Van Auken
12 January 2006

The arrest of a middle-aged Florida college professor and his wife as alleged spies for the Castro government has all the earmarks of a politically motivated prosecution aimed at diverting attention from Washington’s backing for terrorism directed against Cuba.

Arrested by federal agents last Friday were Carlos Alvarez, 61, a professor in Florida International University’s education department since 1974, and his wife Elsa, 55, a counselor in the university’s psychological services department.

Federal prosecutors claimed that Alvarez had carried out espionage for Cuba since 1977, and his wife since 1982. Both are naturalized American citizens who came to the US from Cuba in their youth.

The nature of this so-called spying, however, is far from clear. Justice Department officials acknowledged that there is no evidence that the pair passed any classified documents or information on US military or security matters to Cuba. They likewise admitted that there is no indication they received any money from the Cuban government.

Rather, the information that the government alleged was provided to the Cuban government concerned the activities of the rabidly anti-Castro exile organizations that have carried out terrorist attacks against Cuba.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/miam-j12.shtml