Cuban spy's ultimate mystery: How he got his wife pregnant from a U.S. prison
How did this spy's wife get pregnant?
As part of the most
significant diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Cuba
in more than 50 years, a prisoner swap was made. To uphold its part of
the bargain, the U.S. released three Cuban spies, including Gerardo
Hernandez, the head of the spy ring known as the Wasp Network.
Hernandez had an
ear-to-ear smile Wednesday as he arrived at Havana's Jose Marti
International Airport. State TV showed Hernandez as he was greeted by
President Raul Castro and then embraced and kissed his wife, Adriana
Perez.
Cubans watching the
nonstop coverage of the prisoner swap were shocked when the cameras
zeroed in on Hernandez hugging Perez. She was obviously in the late
stages of a pregnancy that had no easy explanation.
Not only had Hernandez
been serving a double life sentence, but his wife also worked for Cuba's
intelligence services and was banned by U.S. officials from visiting
her husband in prison, according to the Cuban government.
Rumors swirl in sultry Havana
The subject became the
immediate hot topic in Havana where rumors swirled fast about the baby's
paternity and whether the Cuban government could have somehow arranged a
clandestine conjugal visit under the nose of U.S. authorities.
The couple appeared at
another event on Saturday, where together with the other freed spies,
Castro and the communist island's top political and military officials
showered them with applause.
A beaming Hernandez stood by Perez, whose round stomach was clearly visible for viewers of the live broadcast
As the couple left the celebration, Hernandez hinted at the secret surrounding the pregnancy.
"Everyone's asking, and
we have had a lot of fun with the comments and speculations. The reality
is it had to be kept quiet," Hernandez told the government-run
television channel. "We can't give a lot of details, because we don't
want to hurt people who meant well."
He said his wife's pregnancy was a direct result of the high-level talks.
"One of the first things
accomplished by this process was this," Hernandez said, gesturing to
his Perez's stomach. "I had to do it by 'remote control,' but everything
turned out well."
Two sources involved
with the diplomatic talks, when questioned by CNN, uncloaked the
mystery: During the negotiations, Hernandez's sperm was collected and
sent to Cuba, where Perez was artificially inseminated.
The U.S. Justice Department confirmed the story, without going into the details.
"We can confirm the
United States facilitated Mrs. Hernandez's request to have a baby with
her husband," spokesman Brian Fallon said.
What the U.S. would gain
Why would the U.S.
government do this? The artificial insemination was made possible in
exchange for better conditions for Alan Gross, a U.S. contractor
imprisoned in Cuba. Gross was released last week as part of the prisoner
swap.
"In light of Mr.
Hernandez's two life sentences," Fallon said, "the request was passed
along by Senator [Patrick] Leahy, who was seeking to improve the
conditions for Mr. Gross while he was imprisoned in Cuba."
The discretion on both sides makes sense.
For 18 months, officials from both countries refused to admit that they were even holding high-level talks.
Officials communicated via back channels, knowing that any leak about the talks could doom the talks.
Impregnating Perez involved cutting through bureaucratic red tape at multiple U.S. government agencies.
As Perez began to show,
officials from both countries fretted over how they would explain her
pregnancy and what to do if the baby arrived before the talks succeeded.
2001 conviction
Hernandez was convicted
in 2001 of conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the Brothers to
the Rescue shoot down that left four Cuban-Americans dead after Cuban
Air Force MIGs blew up the two civilian planes as they flew toward
Havana to distribute anti-government leaflets. He received two life
sentences.
Cuban authorities said
Hernandez and the other operatives were trying to prevent terrorist
attacks from being carried out on their homeland by violent Miami
exiles.
That the U.S. government
helped a man convicted of plotting the murder of four Cuban-Americans
and spying on the exile community in Miami will likely further rankle
many of the same Cuban-Americans who were already furious that
Washington is restoring diplomatic relations with Havana.
But Tim Reiser, an aide
to Leahy who worked to broker the landmark agreement with Cuba, said
helping Hernandez conceive a child led to better treatment for Gross by
Cuban authorities and was an important concession to help reach a
historic deal.
"The expectation was that this man would die in prison. This was her only chance of having a child," Rieser told CNN.
Gerardo Hernandez said he and his wife are expecting their baby daughter to arrive in two weeks and they will name her Gema.
Source: By Patrick Oppmann, CNN, re-posted by Abdulgafar (www.econsforumnews.blogspot.com)
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