" To whom it may concern"

To whom it may concern

On October 8-9, 2008, U.S. Army counterintelligence officer Lt. Chris Simmons
appeared on various Miami Spanish-language television and radio stations to
further denounce Cuban spies in the United States. His presentations are
posted on the Internet on YouTube.
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/simmons.htm

One of the spies denounced by Simmons is FIU Professor Lisandro Perez, the
Cuban American academic most often quoted in the Miami Herald.
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/espionage/lisandro-perez.htm

The enclosed press release from Concept Creations, that was previously sent to
the Miami Herald and other media outlets, indicates that “Pérez was on The
Miami Herald's Board of Contributors from 1985 to at least 1990. It is the
position that [accused Castro agent] Marifeli Perez-Stable later assumed and
it indicates that the DGI/DI have had an agent of influence in The Miami
Herald for more than 20 years.”

El Nuevo Herald published a Spanish-language article about Simmons’
revelations but omitted mentioning that Lisandro Perez is the second accused
Castro agent on the Miami Herald’s Board of Contributors.
Three weeks have passed and neither Lisandro Perez or Marifeli Perez‐Stable
have taken Simmons to court for slander and libel after the latest serious
accusations. When both professors were previously identified as Castro agents,
they threatened to take legal action but failed to do so. Here is Lisandro
Perez’s blustering letter in 1993
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/espionage/Lisandro‐Perez‐1993.pdf

and a letter from ACLU attorney John de Leon on behalf of Marifeli Perez-
Stable
http://heraldwatch.blogspot.com/2007/03/herald-contributor-attempts-tosilence.
html


So far, neither accused spy nor any of the others unmasked by Simmons have
used the legal system to redeem their honor, integrity, and reputation. Their
inaction speaks volumes.

The Miami Herald, in contrast to El Nuevo Herald and other Spanish-language
media, has ignored these latest accusations by Simmons and have kept Marifeli
Perez-Stable on their board of contributors.
Herald reporters and editors have failed to ask her point-blank questions
about the allegations against her, or to interview the two Cuban Directorate
General of Intelligence (DGI) defectors who exposed her, or the FBI agents who
debriefed the defectors. Where is the journalism ethics, investigative zeal,
and responsibility that all Herald writers and editors learned in journalism
school? Why is the Herald neglecting the highest professional standards of
journalism on this issue? The Miami Herald is demonstrating the most blatant
example of media self-censorship to protect their friends and collaborators.
This further loss of credibility is demonstrated by the Herald’s continuing
decline in circulation, which fell 11.8% during the last six-month period
ending in September.

Sincerely,
Dr. Antonio de la Cova