Havana ? U.S. diplomat Vicki J. Huddleston was in Cuba almost three years before she shook Fidel Castro’s hand for the first time.

Until the airport greeting ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter in May, Huddleston had never been in a situation calling for her and Castro to be that close.

	About Vicki J. HuddlestonTitle: Chief officer, U.S. Interests Section in Havana since 1999; nominated to serve as ambassador to Mali starting in September.Birthdate: Dec. 13, 1942. San Diego. Grew up in Arizona.Education: Bachelor’s degree, international relations, University of Colorado; master’s degree, international relations, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.Diplomatic career: Chief economic secretary in Sierra Leone, 1977-80; State Department international economist, 1980-82; economic officer in Office of Mexican Affairs, 1982-83; chief economic officer in Mali, 1983-86; country desk officer for Bolivia, 1986-89; deputy and coordinator for State Department’s Office of Cuban Affairs, 1989-1993; deputy chief of mission to Haiti, 1993-1995; U.S. ambassador to Madagascar, 1995-1997; deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs in Washington, 1997-1999.

“He just look relieved I didn’t give him a little radio!” Huddleston quipped of the encounter, referring to hundreds of radios she and other U.S. diplomats have distributed despite protests by Castro’s government.

Since arriving in September 1999, Huddleston has overseen one of America’s most politically sensitive missions. The United States severed full diplomatic relations with the communist country four decades ago.

Under diplomatic protocols established years ago, Cuba’s president and Washington’s representative are rarely invited to the same events. They almost never stand face to face.

Huddleston, nominated as ambassador to Mali when her Cuban tour ends in September, has walked a rocky road that turned sharply to the right when President Bush took office in 2001.

While her job doesn’t live up to the cloak-and-dagger antics of “Our Man in Havana,” Graham Greene’s satiric novel, it has required diplomatic finesse.

Only two months after Huddleston arrived, 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found bobbing in an inner tube off Florida. During the seven-month custody battle between Elian’s father in Cuba and his Miami relatives, Huddleston served as liaison between Washington and Havana, meeting frequently with Cuban officials.

Elian returned to Cuba in June 2000.

During the Clinton administration, Huddleston kept a relatively low profile, meeting quietly with dissidents and traveling to provincial areas to ensure unsuccessful migrants weren’t harassed after being returned home by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Huddleston has had a higher profile under Bush, who recently reiterated that American trade and travel restrictions on Cuba will not be eased until competitive elections are held.

In Cuba, Huddleston is best known as the woman responsible for the radios, which were first given to guests including many dissidents during last year’s Fourth of July party at the white two-story house she shares with husband, Robert, a retired foreign service officer.

“I think the government opposes them,” she said of the radios, “because they represent freedom of choice.”