By Eddie Dominguez, Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) -- Jorge Mas Canosa, the top Cuban exile leader who built a powerful political network and monopolized U.S. policy toward Cuba, has died. He was 58.

The cause of death wasn't immediately available. Mas was hospitalized last month for what his family said was a lung infection.

The death of Mas, the founder and chairman of the anti-communist Cuban American National Foundation, leaves the exile community looking for a new leader.

Mas, who many said wanted to be president of Cuba, rose to power utilizing hefty political contributions. He modeled his organization after the typical American political action committee and delivered thousands of Cuban exile votes to the Republican Party.

"Jorge has been a very important part of shaping U.S.-Cuba policy for a number of years, formulating and passing important legislation,'' said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami.

The legislative achievements include the 1996 Helms-Burton Act which made the U.S. embargo on Cuba law and provided for lawsuits against foreign companies doing business with properties illegally confiscated after the communist revolution.

Mas pushed for the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act, also known as the Torricelli Bill, which tightened the embargo on Cuba. The controversial Radio Marti and TV Marti, which is not seen on the island due to jamming, are also creations of Mas. He served as the chairman of the board for the U.S. Information Agency stations that beams uncensored news to Cuba.

"Without Jorge Mas Canosa none of that legislation would have been enacted into law,'' Ros-Lehtinen said.

He was also chairman of the president's advisory committee for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which oversees the operation of Radio and TV Marti.

He was accused of overreaching and controlling the daily operations of the station to push his agenda.

A year-long investigation conducted by the U.S. Information Agency indicated that interference in station practices by Mas undermined U.S. immigration initiatives related to Cuba.

The report said Mas placed cronies on the Radio Marti staff to assure his political viewpoint was represented in broadcasts and that he arranged for reprisals against staff members who refused his orders. However an investigation by the State Department's Inspector General earlier said there was no evidence he arranged reprisals against the staff.

Even his detractors recognize the power he wielded.

"Had it not been for Jorge Mas Canosa, we probably would have had normal relations with Cuba. He has almost single handedly blocked all that,'' said Wayne Smith, who headed the U.S. Interest Section in Havana during the Carter administration.

The official Cuban news agency, Prensas Latina, described Mas in an an obituary Sunday as "a promoter and partisan of all actions against the revolutionary government of Cuba'' in an obituary published Sunday.

Mas built a small family telecommunications business into a publicly traded $475 million company. After a slew of recent acquisitions, MasTec has poised itself as a leading telephone contractor with diverse operations.

MasTec and its earnings catapulted both Mas and his son Jorge Mas Jr. onto the list of the Top 10 richest Hispanics.

"The cynics will argue the power of the Cuban American National Foundation was through raising campaign funds, but that was absolutely secondary,'' said U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-New Jersey.

Mas gained much of his influence during Ronald Reagan's presidency. He helped Reagan and the GOP solidify their political base in Florida in the 1980s, forming an alliance that catapulted Mas to political prominence.

"The strength of the foundation derives from Jorge Mas Canosa's strength of persuasion and ability to compromise,'' Torricelli said. "People have identified with him and have come to believe strongly in the cause.''

His power did not come because the Cuban community -- which numbers about 2 million nationwide -- is a large voter block, Ros-Lehtinen said. But most of the votes are in the swing states of New Jersey and Florida, where every vote is critical.

"He's known how to operate in this strange system of government that is Washington,'' she said. "You've got to know how to get your point across and move hearts and minds and he has been able to do it.''

The walls at the Miami-based foundation's office tell the tale of power. Pictures of Mas with politicians, presidents and ambassadors cover the walls.

His internationally televised 1996 debate against the head of Cuba's parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, was the best display of his skills as an orator and communicator.

When asked during the debate what assurances poor and downtrodden Cubans on the island had that rich exiles would not return and exploit them, he said:

"The same assurances given us by the democratic system and the market economy when we arrived half-starved in this country,'' Mas said. "(Americans) respected our dignity, gave us an opportunity to prosper in this country to the best of our ability.''

© 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved