In honor of what would have been Vlado’s 106th birthday, and in support of the core principles of the United Nations and the human rights of all Cuban people who are suffering because of cruel sanctions by the U.S. government, here are items connected to the very beginning of Vlado’s career in the United Nations in 1946. Vlado was working on the Havana Charter for an International Trade Organization (I.T.O.), which was negotiated in Cuba from November 21, 1947 to March 24, 1948. For some reason, Vlado is in Havana celebrating the New Year of 1947 at the Tropicana Club, and I don’t know why he is there. By an interesting coincidence, the Havana Conference of American Mafia and National Crime Syndicate leaders was held in Havana during the week of December 22, 1946. If Vlado was in Havana acting as an observer of this mob conference I would not be surprised at all!