Atlanta Tycoon to Fly Jimmy to Cuba Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - JosePertierra@aol.com The Atlanta Journal and Constitution - May 8, 2002 Fuqua helps Carter's mission to Cuba take wing by Maria Saporta Atlanta businessman and philanthropist J.B. Fuqua minces no words when asked about the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. "I think it's stupid," Fuqua said. "That's the only word I know. Here's a little tiny country down there that's certainly not a military threat; it's not an economic threat. They don't have the raw materials or infrastructure to become a great manufacturing nation. There's no way that they could compete with this country." On Sunday, Fuqua will get the opportunity to see Cuba firsthand when he will fly former President Carter to the Caribbean nation in his plane. Fuqua had been making plans to visit Cuba before Carter received a personal invitation in January from Cuban President Fidel Castro. Carter then called Fuqua and asked if he wanted to go. That's when Fuqua offered his plane. Although Fuqua has strong opinions about U.S. policies toward Cuba, he said, "This is President Carter's trip, and I'm not going to talk to Castro about anything that might take away from President Carter's efforts." Fuqua has long been interested in politics and business, having been close to several presidents, including Carter and Lyndon B. Johnson. Fuqua, now largely retired, made his fortune through Fuqua Industries, a conglomerate that had holdings in media, banking, athletic products, photo and farm equipment. But he is perhaps best known for his philanthropic work. The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University is named for him. He and his wife also have made generous contributions to several organizations, including the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Emory University, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and Junior Achievement International. Fuqua gave a $4 million grant to Duke to help train leading business people in Russia and other nations once part of the Soviet Union --- "an intense short course on how the free market system works," Fuqua said. Asked whether he was planning a similar program for Cuban business leaders, Fuqua said, "No. I might consider it when Cuba is free to send its people out of the country," he added. The reason Fuqua is going to Cuba, however, is to satisfy his curiosity. "It's just someplace where I haven't been, and I just think it would be interesting to compare Cuba on a personal basis with what the public information on it is," he said. But it's also an opportunity to see history in the making. This is the first trip to Cuba by a U.S. president --- either in or out of office --- in the 43 years that Castro has been in charge. "I'm a great admirer of President Carter, and I consider it a real privilege to go with him and see how he operates to gain the confidence of both the ordinary people and the leaders of a country like Cuba," Fuqua said. "He's going to do it very delicately, if he does it." And while Fuqua doesn't plan to share his own opinions on the trip, he bemoans the fact that U.S. policies toward Cuba are beholden to the Cuban-American population in Florida. "It's even worse because President Bush's brother is running for re-election as governor of Florida, and the Cuban-American population represents a significant bloc of votes," Fuqua said. "There aren't that many Cubans in Florida, but they can raise a lot of hell." Copyright 2002 The Atlanta Constitution ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytact-05.09.02-12:10:34-14231