Interview with Jean-Guy Allard http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2011/07/interview-with-jean-guy-allard.html#more

American pop culture – everything from movies and music to TV shows and fashion – has more impact in Cuba than U.S. government democracy programs that cost millions of dollars every year, Canadian journalist Jean-Guy Allard said. “Cultural junk” from the United States has been much more effective in penetrating Cuba than “expensive government programs,” Allard said in an interview. ”But the U.S. administration won't trash its propaganda and subversion programs because the Miami guys won't let it do so. And their influence in Congress is so strong that many of the millions will likely keep landing in their pockets.

He said it would be difficult to track the dollars spent on U.S.democracy programs in Cuba.“There are many ways to send money. You can send money to Cuba via Western Union. It’s very easy. And a Cuban getting the money here in Havana can just say it’s from a relative in Tampa. No one has to know it comes from the U.S. government or an organization that gets U.S. funds. You can just say – I have an old aunt in Tampa who sold her house and sent me some money.“But the U.S. confesses that it finances subversion here and the living standard of its media stars is something so scandalous that you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to guess that the dollars and the euros are flowing in."