Cuba, the GAE, and the United States: Anatomy of a State Slander

Statement of the Revolutionary Government of Cuba, translated from the Spanish

The United States government has once again acted with premeditated intent in its eagerness to create pretexts to discredit the Cuban Revolution, its historical leadership, and its leaders, thereby confusing both our people and international public opinion.

Everything is part of a roadmap designed by far-right Cuban-American ideologues, who pride themselves on being creative and unpredictable. Their strategy centers on using tools that drastically and in an unprecedented way escalate the maximum pressure policy.

The most recent sanctions against Cuba, announced on May 1st, are part of this plan. Executive Order 14404 targets the Business Administration Group (GAE, in Spanish), this time in conjunction with so-called secondary sanctions aimed at any foreign actor conducting any type of transaction with this Group, with a particular emphasis on pressuring financial institutions.

This is the most intense, disproportionate and dangerous escalation in the recent history of relations between Cuba and the United States.

The deliberate goal is to isolate the country diplomatically, commercially, financially and in the energy sector; make the sustainability of the nation impossible; control the terms of dialogue; and consider different options for military action. They need to create and reinforce a narrative aimed at discrediting the reputation of all the institutions that back our social project.

The GAE was created during the Special Period to confront the economic war, with a creative, unique, and genuinely Cuban vision. Its objective has always been to bring together companies with the capacity to generate the foreign exchange and resources that the State requires to maintain and develop social achievements and contribute to the growth of various sectors and branches of national life.

The services rendered to the nation by the GAE are countless. The material and financial contributions of this organization can be seen in numerous examples: the construction of more than 10,000 homes in various provinces across the country, the creation of a Pioneer Camp and vacation programs for children, and the way in which the Cuban economy was sustained during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proceeds from this business activity have also been allocated to investments in the Lidio Ramón Pérez (Felton) thermoelectric plant in Holguín, and to the design and consolidation of major hydraulic works, including the East-West and North-South water transfer projects, for the benefit of millions of Cubans. Investments and repairs have also been made to polyclinics, family doctor's offices, and schools. All of these activities have been reported thoroughly to the leadership of the Party, the State, and the Government, and in every case, subjected to the strictest control and oversight by the relevant authorities and mechanisms.

The GAE is not an opaque structure, nor is it parallel to the Cuban state; on the contrary, it has been a well-coordinated and provenly effective response to the economic blockade that has historically sought to stifle the Cuban Revolution.

As stated by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, at the 8th Party Congress, the business improvement process, initially developed within the Revolutionary Armed Forces, is a truly historic achievement. This experience later served the country, and its remarkable results contribute to the national economy.

Thousands of men and women, over the past 30 years, have been the unsung guardians of the nation's resources and deserve recognition. While their work hasn't been sufficiently acknowledged, it speaks for itself, rising above the state-sponsored slander orchestrated from Washington.

Today, as the will of the Cuban people is expressed in a process of change, contained in the Government's Economic and Social Program, this organization is an active part of the transformations of the country's business system.

The GAE is not the product of secrecy, nor of elites, and certainly not a means of enrichment for a select few. On the contrary, it is one of the many examples that, along our path, have allowed us to resist the constant aggression of the United States government. Its history was built, in the words of the Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, "without the slightest desire for the limelight, as serious matters should be done."

Havana, June 2, 2026

"Year of the Centennial of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz"

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC