Green Bay Press-Gazette Green Bay, Wisconsin Friday, August 20, 1965 - Page 4
Checkmate for Chess Player
The Department of State was up-held in the courts a couple of months ago in its insistence that it could ban travel of Americans to Cuba as not in the nation's interest. Now it appears that it is stuck with the decision.
United States chess champion Bobby Fischer requested permission to visit Cuba to play in the Capablanca Memorial Tournament, an international chess affair to be held in Havana later this month. Since the State Department does bend its ban to permit journalists or businessmen who had business interests in Cuba previous to Castro's take-over to travel, Fischer also had contracts with a couple of American magazines for articles on the trip. But the State Department turned thumbs down and said the articles were only by-products of his visit.
Obviously the State Department would like to pretend that nothing goes on in Cuba like chess tournaments. But Fischer is getting around the restriction at least in part by making arrangements to take part in the tournament by phone or cable, not under State's jurisdiction. Since there was no question of Fischer's sympathy to either Castro or communism, the whole affair has made the State Department look pretty silly.
We've agreed with the administration's insistence that different Communist countries require different treatment, depending upon their current aims and attitudes. But it makes little sense that Americans are not permitted to visit Cuba while they can trade on a limited scale with Eastern European satellites, our government authorities are in constant conference with Red Chinese delegates and we sell wheat to Russia.
Fischer was turned down most likely because the Department of State couldn't very well let him go when the court case which upheld its right to restrict involved another American who merely wanted to see what was going on.
The incident has also enabled Castro to get into the act to try to make some political headway. Hearing that Castro has commented disparagingly on the State Department, an alarmed Fischer sent Fidel a cable announcing his withdrawal from the tournament unless Castro would “send me immediate cable assuring me that you and your government seek and claim no political benefit from my participation.” Castro did not do exactly that but he did wire Fischer that he never said anything in the first place.
This is all nit picking. The Department of State ought to be some-what more dignified than to he concerned with whether an American whose patriotism is not questioned goes to Havana to play chess.
