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Cuba in the Cold War
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Castro in Cuba
In Cuba, Fidel Castro leads his guerilla forces triumphantly into Havana, toppling the government of Fulgencio Batista. While most Cubans initially celebrate Castro's victory over the unpopular, corrupt Batista, Americans fear that Castro will establish a Soviet-friendly regime just 90 miles off the Florida coast. -
Castro Tours US
New Cuban leader Fidel Castro tours the United States, hiring a prominent American PR firm to coordinate a charm offensive in hopes of reassuring Americans that the new revolutionary government in Cuba poses no threat to the United States. While Castro receives some positive coverage in the American press, President Dwight Eisenhower refuses to meet with him. -
Cuba and US Sever Ties
Fidel Castro negotiates a trade agreement with the Soviet Union, allowing Cuba to import Soviet oil. Cuba's refineries—all owned by American corporations—refuse to process the Soviet crude, and Castro retaliates by nationalizing the refineries. Castro's seizure of this American property leads to the severing of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. -
Cuban Sugar Quota Cut
The Eisenhower administration cuts Cuba's sugar quota, depriving Cuba of the opportunity to sell 7 million tons of sugar (one of Cuba's most important exports) in the American market. Castro threatens to nationalize all American-owned property in Cuba in retaliation. -
Cuba Nationalizes American Property
Fidel Castro follows through on his threat to nationalize all American-owned property in Cuba. Lands and businesses worth more than $850 million become the property of the Cuban government. -
Kennedy Elected
Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts is elected president, narrowly defeating Republican Vice President Richard Nixon in the 1960 elections. -
Kennedy Inaugurated
President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address showcases the young president's idealism. Even while demonstrating his commitment to the Cold War by promising that he will not shrink from defending freedom, he also promises to be open to cooperation with the Soviet Union in the interest of peace and arms control: "Let us never negotiate out of fear," he says. "But let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring th -
Bay of Pigs
A CIA-organized force of anti-Castro Cuban exiles attempts to invade Cuba, landing at a place called the Bay of Pigs. Rather than toppling Castro's government, the invasion is quickly crushed by Cuba's armed forces. President Kennedy takes full responsibility for the debacle. -
Operation Mongoose
President John F. Kennedy initiates the CIA's Operation Mongoose, authorizing covert attempts to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist regime in Cuba. Operation Mongoose is a failure and pushes Castro closer to the Soviet Union. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis begins after American U2 surveillance flights confirm that the Soviets have placed nuclear missiles on Cuba. President John F. Kennedy rejects advice from military advisors to launch an immediate attack on Cuba. -
Cuba Quarantine
President John F. Kennedy goes on national television to announce the presence of Soviet missiles on Cuba and the imposition of an American "quarantine" or naval blockade around Cuba. Kennedy begins negotiations with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, largely leaving Cuban leader Fidel Castro out of the loop. -
Cuban Missile Crisis Resolved
The Cuban Missile Crisis ends after President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev reach a secret agreement: the Soviet Union agrees to remove its missiles from Cuba if the Americans will remove its own Jupiter missiles from Turkey (which is about as far from the USSR as Cuba is from the US). The deal is kept secret from the public, which believes that Kennedy has won his victory through pure resolve rather than through negotiation.