In reference to your May 8 article "President Bush scoffs at Cuba's 'empty gestures at reform' ": I was in Cuba in March, visiting with the permission of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and what I saw does not support the Bush administration's analysis or policy there.

Our group was hosted by churches full of devoted, educated and articulate Cubans who were happy that Fidel Castro had stepped down and that Raul was making reforms. The church members we met were eager for more economic opportunities and greater political freedoms. They complained about the government's incompetence and inefficiency, much like we do here.

They were also convinced that the U.S. embargo and travel restrictions had slowed these reforms and had helped to keep the Castro regime in power. The U.S. embargo, travel restrictions and the Helms-Burton Act, all intended to destabilize the Castro government, are not just ineffective, they are counterproductive. Our policy hurts the Cuban people and provides excuses for their government's problems. It's time for our policies to change.

Rev. Allen Proctor

Presbyterian Campus Ministry at N.C. State University

Raleigh