U.S. Funding of Subversive Media to Undermine Cuba's Economy
The escalating U.S. campaign of sanctions and economic pressure against Cuba has since the fall been accompanied by a subversive media campaign via the website El Toque. It is meant to sow doubt amongst the people that they are the ones in control of their destiny because they exercise control over the direction of their economy, despite all the difficulties that arise from the U.S. blockade.
The Cuban publication Razones de Cuba (Cuba's Reasons) explained that El Toque "under the guise of providing 'informational services,' has established itself as a harmful actor for the Cuban economy and the stability of its families." In particular, "its most well-known product -- the informal exchange rate -- has become an instrument of economic manipulation, far from being a faithful reflection of reality."
Cuba is facing extreme hardship caused by the U.S. blockade, that includes many financial measures that restrict revenue from foreign sources, which in turn raises the costs of doing business and limits avenues for making international payments. This puts pressure on Cuba on multiple fronts.
Amidst
this situation, El Toque is publishing a false and misleading informal
exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Cuban peso, showing 460
pesos to the dollar, versus the dual official rates of 24 or 120 to 1.
An investigation carried out November 13 and 22, 2025 by economists,
specialists and mathematical engineers of the University of Havana
showed that the exchange rate published was not representative or
statistically sound.
An article in Granma published December 10, 2025 explained how El Toque's publication of a false informal exchange rate harms the Cuban economy and people. Yubán Gutiérrez Quintanilla, PhD in Science, first vice president of the Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba, explained:
"Given that this TMRI [Representative Informal Market Rate] has become the main reference for the informal exchange rate on the island, its manipulation has a direct impact on the economy. Gutiérrez Quintanilla listed the damages: 'distortion of prices and state economic planning, promotion of inflation and erosion of purchasing power, encouragement of speculation, and discouragement of remittances entering through official channels.'
"In a context of economic blockade, these practices prevent foreign currency from entering the national banking system, affecting Cuba's ability to make essential imports. The experts' conclusion is clear: 'The manipulation is not found in the algorithm's calculation, but in the selection of data. They have a number and go out looking for data so that the calculation gives them the number they already have, Granma concluded.
Just as damning is the fact that El Toque has an openly counter-revolutionary aim. It has links to Europe where it emerged under the auspices of the Dutch broadcaster Radio Nederland, which was itself created for the purpose of subversion against the then Soviet Union. Radio Nederland has received funding from the U.S. government to organize and carry out an escalation of terrorist actions against Cuba.
The director of El Toque is José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, originally from Cuba. In April 2017, the Más Voces Collective Foundation was established under the direction of Nieves Cárdenas. Colonel Francisco Estrada Portales, head of the Department of Investigation of Crimes against State Security, Ministry of the Interior (Minint) explains that this "collective" was formally presented as "a public non-profit foundation, but which, in practice, received funds from the structures of the United States Government, the State Department, the Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), with the aim of working against the Cuban socialist system."
Estrada Portales went on to say that "Nieves Cárdenas acknowledges that he is a salaried employee with the express purpose of destroying the Cuban Revolution." The acts that he is carrying out through El Toque "could be classified under various criminal offenses covered by our laws, with the aggravating circumstance that he is doing so against his country of birth and for money. He is committing economic sabotage, acting aggressively against the people," Estrada Portales pointed out.
Cuba has made clear its determination to prosecute and dismantle all forms of terrorism and destabilization, such as the activities being carried out by El Toque.
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 4 - February 13, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/T5600411.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca