Cleaver in Cuba

He went through the garage of an unpretentious apartment building near the heart of Havana, went up six flights in a tiny elevator, and knocked on a heavy door. He was scrutinized through a two-way mirror, then admitted into the presence of Eldridge Cleaver--Black Panther leader, author and, for the past six months, one of America's most mysterious fugitives.

"How did you find my apartment?" asked Cleaver, visibly startled. "Who told you I lived here?" The answers remained the secret of James Pringle, 31, Havana correspondent for Reuters. Pringle had apparently acted on a tip from someone close to or in Havana's small Black Panther exile colony.

Cleaver dropped from sight in late November, when he was scheduled to return to prison for a parole violation. He is believed to have left the United States that same month after shaving off his beard to alter his appearance. It has since grown back, and he seems to have gained weight in Havana. Pringle reported that Cleaver has toured Cuba, but has not yet met Premier Fidel Castro. Cleaver's presence has been ignored by the heavily censored Cuban press. He refused to say much after being discovered, but did tell Pringle that he was working on a sequel to Soul on Ice. Its success could be important to some of the people he left behind in California, including his wife Kathleen. Though Cleaver is safe from U.S. authorities as long as he remains in Cuba, his wife and supporters must pay $50,000 in forfeited bail money.

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