Published Sep 28, 2002
HAVANA -- Gov. Jesse Ventura accomplished one of the missions of his trip to Cuba on Friday, obtaining from Fidel Castro an absolute denial of the Cuban leader's alleged involvement in the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Ventura raised the JFK assassination with the Cuban president during an hourlong meeting, which the governor described as a "private" and friendly encounter that focused more on Ventura's past as a professional wrestler than on trade or politics.
As he had vowed to do before he left for Cuba -- and before he even knew whether he would get an audience with the Cuban leader -- Ventura prodded Castro on a topic that has long fascinated conspiracy buffs.
"The only thing I will say on that subject is he said to me, 'We would never be so crazy to do something like that,' " Ventura recounted. "I agree with him. Why would they? That would be suicide for the country of Cuba."
Ventura said Castro took no offense at the question, in what could well be the first time any U.S. public official has raised the subject with him in a direct encounter.
"When I asked about it, I said, 'Do you mind if I ask something personal?' " Ventura said. "He said, 'You can ask me anything you want.' "
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Ventura's meeting with Castro, 76, whom he described as "spellbinding," was the highlight of a four-day trade mission that ends today. Ventura also spent part of the day talking to 70 specially invited students at the University of Havana, including five from Minnesota who are spending the semester in Cuba.
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As he has throughout his visit, Ventura emphasized the importance of personal and business connections that transcend the political differences that separate the two Cold War enemies.
"I am here because I believe that if we are successful business partners, there is a better chance that we can someday be better friends," he said. "I know that many think I am naive. But I don't think so."
Ventura rattled off a long list of great Cuban baseball players who became Minnesota Twins, including Tony Oliva. He also recounted the legend -- altogether unconfirmed -- that the Twins' forerunner, the Washington Senators, once owned the rights to Castro as a baseball player.
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Castro's charm did not stop Ventura from indulging his curiosity about the JFK assassination, which happened when Ventura was 12. Conspiracy theorists, including Ventura, have long dismissed the official Warren Commission report that attributed the shooting on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas to drifter Lee Harvey Oswald.
The assassination has variously been attributed to the CIA, to Castro and the Mob. In Havana, Ventura crossed Castro off the list. At the same time, he found a way to blame another familiar enemy -- the media -- for letting the story die.
Asked to explain his interest in the JFK assassination, Ventura answered: "Because you're not. The United States media has bought into that fabricated Warren Commission, and that's why I'm interested in it.
"That was a homicide. There was never a trial, and therefore the homicide remains open forever. The case is never closed."
Ventura initially expressed some hesitation in talking about the discussion he had with Castro about Kennedy, saying, "Why, everybody thinks you're a kook if you don't believe Oswald did it."
As reporters pressed, he added that Castro had made him "aware of a few things that I have yet to read about, I will tell you that, in all the books that have been written."
Ventura declined to say what they were, other than that Castro "absolutely" denied the long-rumored involvement of the Cubans, and that he believes him.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1384/3330146.html
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/ dave /