3 linear inches, 1 container
The material in this series contains newspaper clippings, lists of political prisoners, and a copy of a signed agreement. Also included is related documents submitted by Cuban government to Bernardo Benes in 1978.
Bernardo Benes was born on December 27, 1934 in Matanzas, Cuba. He received degrees in law and public accounting from the University of Havana in 1956 and joined the law firm of Ramon Zaydin. Benes worked for the Ministry of Finance in the early months of the Castro regime, but government harassment forced him to leave Cuba in November 1960. He was employed by the Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association in Miami, Florida and rose quickly to vice-president. He became a U.S. citizen in 1969. A high-profile civic activist, he opened Continental National Bank, the first Cuban-American bank in Miami, in 1974. He was Chairman of the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign's Hispanic Committee in Florida in 1976. Benes served as an intermediary between the U.S. and Cuban governments during the Carter and Reagan administrations, and helped secure the release of thousands of Cuban political prisoners, for immigration to the United States. He passed away January 14, 2019.
This collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Series Title I: Subject Files (NAID 592792)
Container 1. This series was opened in October 2019. The series contains newspaper clippings, lists of political prisoners, and a copy of a signed agreement. Also included is related documents submitted by Cuban government to Bernardo Benes in 1978. Arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Restrictions on Access: These papers contain documents restricted in accordance with applicable executive order(s), which governs National Security policies, applicable Bernardo Benes Papers 2 statutes/agency restrictions, and material which has been closed in accordance with the donor’s deed of gift.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction: Copyright interest in these papers has been donated to the United States Government. Some of the records may be subject to copyright restrictions (i.e. newspapers, publications, etc.). Researchers should contact the publisher for further information.
The Bernardo Benes Papers are located at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, 441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway NE, Atlanta, GA 30307.
Fidel Castro
Cuba
Human rights
Political prisoners
Cuban/American relations
11/78-12/78
Preferred citation: [Type of Document], [Names of Sender and Recipient or Title of Document], [Date], [Collection Title], [Series Title], [Folder Title], [Box Number], Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
Acquisition information: These donated historical materials were received under provisions of the instrument of gift that Bernardo Benes signed April 21, 1989.
Processing information: This collection was opened in October 2019