GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — Guantanamo’s prison camps’ commander said Thursday that he would continue to approve celebrity visits despite a simmering controversy over a visit last month by Miss Universe and Miss USA.
“They were on tour to say ‘hello and thank you’ to the guard force,” said Navy Rear Adm. David M. Thomas Jr., sweeping aside a claim that letting celebrities see war-on- terrorism detainees violated Geneva Convention protections.
The USO sponsored the visit March 21-24 by Crystle Stewart, Miss USA, and Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza, a 22-year-old model from Venezuela, who posted a glowing description of this remote Caribbean outpost on the Miss Universe website.
Guantanamo guards said the beauty queens were dressed conservatively and drew no particular attention from detainees during their visit.
