CUBA: Wife Of U.S. Prisoner Pleads For His Release.

M.HERALD/ JUAN TAMAYO/
     The wife of Alan Gross, 61, imprisoned in Cuba since 3 December, 2009 for delivering satellite communications equipment to the tiny Jewish community there under a subcontract with U.S. AID program to promote civil society and democracy on the island... begged in a letter for his release.
      "I recognize today that the Cuban government may not like the type of work that Alan was doing in Cuba,'' she wrote. ``But I want you to know that Alan loves the people of Cuba, and he only wanted to help them. He never intended them, or your government, any harm.To the extent his work may have offended you or your government, he and I are genuinely remorseful.'' She also added that his health ``is deteriorating significantly.'' He has lost 80 pounds in jail and ``developed a neurological problem that I am told may result in permanent paralysis of his right leg.''

CUBA: U.S. "Spy" Identified.

NYTIMES/

American officials say the man held as a "spy" by Cuban authorities is Alan P. Gross, a 60-year-old social worker from the D.C. suburbs who had gone to Cuba to provide communications equipment to Jewish nonprofit organizations,