To the Editors:

On Wednesday night, March 28th, the Center for Cuban Studies was bombed and a large portion of it totally destroyed. The Center for Cuban Studies is a resource library of information from and about Revolutionary Cuba. It is a library for the dissemination of facts, not propaganda. The Center is open to everyone, its library and information files available to all those interested in knowing about Cuba today.

Sandra Levinson was alone in the Center at the time of the bombing, working on what was to be our weekly mailing to people in the New York City area concerning the next week’s activities. The bomb ripped through several walls of the third floor, ruining the photography studio on one side of us and the storeroom of display artists on the other. Minutes before the explosion the last members of our Spanish class had left. Had the bomb exploded then, many people could have been killed. Anyone working immediately next door could have been killed. Fortunately, only Ms. Levinson was working near the explosion and she was able to escape through the blown-out window by her desk which opened onto a fire escape.

We have not been able to estimate the damage to the Center. Most of our valuable Cuban books, periodicals, and files have been saved, and we are anxious to rebuild what must be rebuilt so as to continue our normal schedule of activities. Bookshelves, tables, desks, and cabinets were destroyed as well as the front door and wall; all the windows are gone and must be replaced; many of our wonderful Cuban graphics were destroyed. We hope you will contribute to our rebuilding fund in whatever way you can—with money or with your labor. (The Center is tax-deductible; if you have any questions, please write.)

Center for Cuban Studies

186 West 4th Street,

New York City 10014

This Issue

July 19, 1973