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Clinton Presidential Library
1200 President Clinton Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201
Inventory for FOIA Request 2011-1045-F
Records on Operation Safe Haven, 1994-1995
Extent
20 folders, 1002 pages
Access
Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the
Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 USC 2201) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 USC
552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal
exemptions.
Copyright
Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States government as part of
their official duties are in the public domain. Researchers are advised to consult the copyright law of the
United States (17 USC, 101) which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of
copyrighted material.
Provenance
Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library
and are administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the
provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).
Processed by
Staff Archivist, May 2012. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.
Scope and Content
The materials in FOIA 2011-1045-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the
FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials.
The records responsive to this FOIA request consist of materials regarding Operation Safe Haven. In
the early 1990s, social, economic, and political problems in both Haiti and Cuba let to large seaborne
migrations from those countries. The Haitian and Cuban refugees often traveled by sea in unreliable
vessels and required United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescue. Between 1993 and 1994, during
Operation Able Manner, USCG intercepted over 60,000 Haitian migrants and brought many of them to
the United States naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for shelter and further processing. Then, in
response to anti-government demonstrations, Cuban President Fidel Castro ordered his military not to
interfere with those trying to leave the country. A mass migration attempt, known as the Balseros,
ensued. USCG and US Navy ship rescued the Cuban migrants and also brought them to Guantanamo
as a part of Operation Sea Signal. At the naval base, the United States military constructed separate tent
camps for Haitian and Cuban refugees. There also specific camps for single individuals, intact families,
and unaccompanied minors. While conditions in the camps were at times difficult, the United Nations
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http://www.clintonlibrary.gov
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�and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were allowed to observe and assist in operations. By
September 1994, Guantanamo was overcrowded. In response, the United States Joint Task Force
initiated Operation Safe Haven. Between September 8, 1994 and March 15, 1995, more than 8,000
Cubans were transported to camps established in Panama as the result of an agreement with the United
States government. The uncertainty felt among these migrants led to rioting in the camps on December
7 and 8, which U.S. military personnel quickly brought under control. In the meantime, following the
return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in October 1994, the Haitians at Guantanamo Bay were
repratriated to their country, unless they could prove a legitimate fear of persecution. Unaccompanied
minors were either reunited with their families or entered foster care in the United States. After the
majority of the Haitians left the naval base, the Cubans in the Panama camps were returned to
Guantanamo. In order to resolve the status of the more than 30,000 Cuban migrants in the naval base,
the United States government negotiated the Cuban Migration Agreement. Most of the migrants were
allowed to enter the United States through humanitarian parole, while future seaborne interceptions of
Cuban migrants would result in repatriation unless they claim fear of persecution. This lead to the policy
now commonly known as “wet foot, dry foot.” While returned to Cuba if intercepted at sea, migrants
who reach the shores of the United States are allowed to remain.
In the WHORM Subject Files responsive documents consist of correspondence between the President
and members of Congress and NGOs. These records concern the migration of Haitians.
In the White House Staff and Office files, responsive documents are located in the files of National
Security Council staff member Eric Schwartz. These materials primarily address the fate of the Haitians
located in the Guantanamo Bay camps, particularly the plight of the unaccompanied minors. The
records include press guidance, clippings, memoranda, and correspondence from both NGOs interested
in the migrant situation and from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Schwartz’ papers also discuss the overcrowding dilemma and include numerous agreements with foreign
governments for the potential establishment of safe haven camps in their countries.
The NSC Cables, Emails, and Records Management System also contains material processed in
response to this FOIA request. Both the cables and the emails contain reports from foreign media
regarding the transport and behavior of the Cubans living in the safe haven camps in Panama.
System of Arrangement
Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas – Clinton
Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files, Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and
Office Files, Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System.
The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to
organize and track documents and correpondence. The WHORM Subject file was compiled by the
White House Office of Records Management and is a series of categories designated by a letter/number
combination.
Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices
and document all levels of administration activity.
WHORM files are processed at the document level; whereas, Staff and Office files are processed at the
folder level, that is, individual documents are not selected and removed from a folder for processing.
While this method maintains folder integrity, it frequently results in the incidental processing of
documents that are not wholly responsive to the subject area.Staff and Office files were maintained at
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�the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of
administration activity.
FOIA 2011-1045-F includes WHORM records from these subject codes:
CO
Countries – Geographic Areas
The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2011-1045-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File
Category
Case Number
CO072
056417
CO072
058157
CO072
060556
CO072
062710
CO072
070693
CO072
070697
CO072
072160
CO072
071380SS
CO072
071442
CO072
072093
CO072
072627
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
National Security Council
Multilateral & Humanitarian Affairs
Schwartz, Eric
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [1] [OA/ID 3416]
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [2] [OA/ID 3416]
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [3] [OA/ID 3416]
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [4] [OA/ID 3416]
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [5] [OA/ID 3416]
Box 2
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [6] [OA/ID 3416]
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [7] [OA/ID 3416]
Haiti-Safe Haven, 1994-1995 [8] [OA/ID 3416]
NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems
NSC Cables
Jan 1993 – Dec 1994
[Operation Safe Haven]
[07/11/1994 – 12/31/1994] [OA/ID 505000]
Jan 1995 – Dec 1996
[Operation Safe Haven]
[12/31/1994 – 02/06/1995] [OA/ID 510000]
NSC Emails
MSMail – Non-Record (Sept 94 – Sept 97)
[Operation Safe Haven]
[01/23/1995] [OA/ID 605000]
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http://www.clintonlibrary.gov
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Finding Aids - Collection Descriptions & Inventories
Description
An account of the resource
Finding aids at the Clinton Presidential Library contain a detailed description of the collection including the total number of pages or photos and length of video and audio recordings. Finding aids also include background information of the collection’s topic and details on the record type (ex: email, memorandum, briefing book, Betacam video, audio cassette etc). <br /><br />Finding aids describe collections at the box and folder level, and include a folder title list and information about the arrangement of the collection. <br /><br /><strong>Please note the majority of collections have not yet been scanned nor made available online.</strong>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Operation Safe Haven - Collection Finding Aid
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2011-1045-F
Description
An account of the resource
This collection consists of records related to Operation Safe Haven which was a mission carried out by the United States Government. Operation Safe Haven created camps established in Panama to temporarily house the refugees fleeing from Cuba and Haiti in 1994-1995. The majority of the records contain National Security Council email, cables and records from the Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs Office. See also, collection "Operation Able Manner," FOIA 2011-1040-F.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
The topic of the resource
Haiti
Haitians
Refugee camps
Cuba--Guantánamo Bay Naval Base
Emigration and immigration
Cuba
Cubans
Detention of persons
Refugees
Finding Aid