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those of the main actors. Ana priori rejection of the player's
opinions solely because he forms an integral part of the drama is
dangerous" (p. 1).
Although Mesa-Lago's 1969 work points out the unreliability of
the statistics on Cuba since the Revolution, his 1979 work indicates
a willingness, even a desire, on the part of the Revolutionary
statisticians to improve their data collection and dissemination
capabilities.
Travel barriers are a problem both in obtaining permission to
enter the island, and in having access to a research population.
Travel on the island is very limited and extended interaction between
a foreign researcher and a typical group of Cubans is unusual. Most
foreigners are taken to showcase locations and interview only those
who will respond according to government expectations (Mesa-Lago,
1969). Many other authors (Butterworth, 1980; Comin, 1979; Nicholson,
1974) concur on these last points. Mesa-Lago (1969) also states that
the government's screening of visitors is a biasing factor for those
searching for the truth. He finds that almost all publications either
present a very limited amount of information or are strongly biased
against or in favor of the revolution. The work of Black et al. (1976)
also confirms this bias. The 1980 Cuban immigrants interviewed as
part of this research confirm that anyone visiting the island during
the past 20 years could not possibly know what life is like there.
Butterworth (1980) states that the research he was conducting with
Lewis was confiscated and destroyed even though the government had
given permission for the work. Statistics from an underdeveloped