Rudy quotes Reagan in a statement, via e-mail:

“Today I join the Cuban people to mark an anniversary and to hope for a day when Cuba is truly free. I know the enormous contribution of the Cuban people to this country. It is a testament to Cubans everywhere that your culture and spirit have flourished, even under the hardships of one of the worst tyrannies that the world has known. The day that democracy takes hold in Cuba will be a great day for all of the world. On this anniversary of the establishment of the Cuban Republic, I echo the words of Ronald Reagan: ‘I join a million free Cuban-Americans in reaffirming our solidarity with the long suffering Cuban people. In the heart of the Americas, the long night of totalitarian rule cannot endure forever.’”