Alan Gross thanked President Barack Obama in his statement after returning home to the United States about his ordeal during the five years he was held in a Cuban prison and slammed the “two governments mutually belligerent policies,” as an example of “two wrongs never make a right.”
Gross said, “I have to say happy holiday season to all of you. Today is the first day of Hanukkah. And I guess so far it’s the best Hanukkah that I’ll be celebrating for a long time. What a blessing it is to be a citizen of this country. And thank you, President Obama, for everything that you have done today and leading up to today. I want to acknowledge the extraordinary and determined efforts of my wife, Judy. 44 1/2 years we’ve been married. I know you’re not 44 1/2 anymore. And my lawyer and personal Moses, Scott Gilbert. And their efforts to restore my freedom.”
He added, “I also feel compelled to share with you my utmost respect for and fondness of the people of Cuba. In no way are they responsible for the ordeal to which my family and I have been subjected. To me Cubans or at least most of them, are incredibly kind, generous and talented. It pains me to see them treated so unjustly as a consequence of two governments mutually belligerent policies. 5 1/2 decades of history show us such belligerent inhibits such judgment. Two wrongs never make a right. I hope we can get beyond these mutual belligerent policies. I was very happy to hear what the president had to say today. It was particularly cool to be sitting next to the Secretary of State as he was hearing about his job description for the next couple of months. In all seriousness, this is a game-changer. Which I fully support. In the meantime, i ask that you respect my wishes for complete and total privacy.”
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