Trump administration revives conspiracy theories about Cuba’s alleged manipulation of activism in the US
A State Department report on this alleged problem is new, but its claims about alleged communist machinations being behind activist movements in the US are old.
Nearly seven decades have passed since Cuba launched a "sustained campaign of subversion against the United States," as asserted in a recently released State Department report. The report reiterates an old conspiracy theory suggesting Cuba's communist leaders are responsible for contemporary U.S. social conflicts, including protests following George Floyd's murder in 2020 and the prominence of groups like Antifa.
The report asserts these movements are somehow linked to Cuban influence. However, this claim is not new. Similar conspiracy theories have circulated in my research on U.S.-Latin American relations in the 20th century, peaking in the late 1960s, suggesting Cuban communists were involved in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. These allegations are false and were fueled by groups such as the Fair Play for Cuba Committee.
The claims originated from admiration for Cuba's overthrow of dictator Fulgencio Batista, its repulsion of the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion, and its efforts to desegregate beaches and hotels. During the 1960s, conspiracy theories proliferated, linking civil rights protests, including those in Birmingham, to Cuban communism. Organizations like the Alabama Legislative Commission to Preserve the Peace and the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Internal Security perpetuated these notions, even during hearings in 1960 and 1961.
The State Department's report on Cuba in 2026 cites the subcommittee's hearings as the sole evidence supporting the claim that the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was subversive. However, more than 65 years have passed, and the government has provided no new evidence. These conspiracy theories were further fueled by organizations like the John Birch Society and the Alabama Independent, who linked civil rights activists and Black Power militants to Cuban communism.
Despite the passage of time, the government has not offered any new evidence to substantiate these claims.
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