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President Cleveland's Inauguration
• Cleveland shunned foreign entanglements and imperial ambitions
• Revolutions in both Hawaii and Cuba seemed to require a response by the president but he chose not to acknowledge either, leaving those issues to his successors -
President McKinley Takes Office
• Spain's brutal suppression of revolutionaries in Cuba motivated Congress, with McKinley’s support to pass a war resolution in 1898 with an amendment that guaranteed Cuba's eventual independence
• Led the nation to a decisive victory in 1989 Spanish American War
• Cuba was eventually granted independence, but the US kept Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam -
Teller Amendment
It placed a condition on the United States military's presence in Cuba. According to the clause, the U.S. could not annex Cuba but only leave "control of the island to its people." In short, the U.S. would help Cuba gain independence and then withdraw all its troops from the country. -
Armistice Signed between US and Spain
The brief and one-sided Spanish-American War comes to an end when Spain formally agrees to a peace protocol on U.S. terms: the cession of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Manila in the Philippines to the United States pending a final peace treaty. -
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was an agreement made in 1898 that involved Spain relinquishing nearly all of the remaining Spanish Empire, especially Cuba, and ceding Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. -
Platt Amendment
It stipulated seven conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops remaining in Cuba at the end of the Spanish–American War, and an eighth condition that Cuba sign a treaty accepting these seven conditions. It defined the terms of Cuban–U.S. relations to essentially be an unequal one of U.S. dominance over Cuba. On December 25, 1901, Cuba amended its constitution to contain the text of the Platt Amendment. -
Big Stick Diplomacy
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy: "speak softly, and carry a big stick." Roosevelt described his style of foreign policy as "the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis". (The date is Theodore Roosevelt's inauguration not the actual date.) -
Dollar Diplomacy
The diplomacy to promote the United States commercial interests and economic power abroad by guaranteeing loans made to strategically important foreign countries. It created stability and order abroad that would best promote American commercial interests. (Date is not accurate but the date of William Taft's inauguration.) -
Good Neighbor Policy
FDR wanted to improve relations with the nations of Central and South America. Although domestic economic problems and World War II diverted attention from the Western Hemisphere, Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy represented an attempt to distance the US from earlier interventionists policies (like the Roosevelt Corollary and military interventions in the region during 1910 to 1920. -
Cuban–American Treaty of Relations
The US abandons its right to intervene in Cuba's internal affairs, revises Cuba's sugar quota and changes tariffs to favor Cuba. -
The Cuban Revolution
Fulgencio Batista was one of Cuba's most progressive presidents but also the most despotic and despised. Two years later, after planning and consensus-building, the rebels landed secretly on the Cuban beachhead. This lead to offensive attacks from Castro allowed Castro to take power when the rebels occupied Havana. The overall goal was to "tear down the old world" and "build up a new". -
Eisenhower Approves "A Program of Covert Action against the Castro Regime"
• CIA set up training camps in Guatemala
• November- had a small army for an assault landing and guerrilla warfare
• José Miró Cardona led the anti-Castro Cuban exiles in the US. He was a former member of Castro’s government and was Head of Cuban Revolutionary Council (the exile committee). The plan was that he was going to take over the provisional presidency of Cuba if the invasion succeeded. -
US Embargo on Cuba
Eisenhower placed an economic embargo on Cuba
• Completely stopped sugar cane imports from Cuba
• Response to Cuba’s nationalization of foreign property and businesses, most of which were owned by Americans -
John F. Kennedy Takes Office
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Kennedy Authorizes Bay of Pigs Invasion Plan
Two airstrikes against Cuban air bases with a 1400 man force to launch a surprise attack at night, paratroopers would go in advance to disrupt transportation while a smaller force would land on the east coast to create confusion. The Main force would, in advance, cross to Matanzas and set up a defensive position. United Revolutionary Front would send leaders from South Florida and establish a provisional government. Success depended on the Cuban population joining the invaders. -
Bay of Pigs- Air Strike
8 bombers left Nicaragua to bomb Cuban airfields (US painted them like Cuban air force planes), but they missed most of their targets and left Castro’s air force mostly intact. Media published the event showing that the pictures of the plans indicated US support, causing JFK to cancel the second airstrike. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Invasion force landed at beaches along the Bay of Pigs and were immediately under heavy fire, two escort ships were sunken, and half the air support was destroyed. Bad weather also hampered the ground force. Castro had order 20,000 troops to advance towards the beach. -
Bay of Pigs- Surrender
1200 members of the exile force (Brigade 2056) surrendered and more than 100 were killed. -
Foreign Assistance Act
• Forbids any assistance to all communist countries, including Cuba, and to any other country which gave assistance to Cuba
• Authorizes the US President to “Establish and maintain total embargo upon all trade between the US and Cuba" -
Kennedy Sends a 4th Message to Khrushchev
Kennedy sent a 4th message to the Khrushchev, suggesting steps for the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba under supervision of the UN and a guarantee that the US wouldn’t attack Cuba -
JFK Announces Embargo on Cuba under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
• An embargo upon all trade between the United States and Cuba in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3
• Prohibit the importation into the US of all goods of Cuban origin and all goods imported from or through Cuba
• Prohibits the export of goods from the US to Cuba
• Does not contain time limits or conditions for the lifting of the embargo -
USSR and Cuba Agreement to Place Nuclear Missiles in Cuba
Nikita Khrushchev reached a secret agreement with Fidel Castro to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt. In the summer, the construction of several missile sites began. -
Kennedy Issues a Public Warning against Weapons Build-up in Cuba
US intelligence discovered photographic evidence of this arms build up. Therefore, JFK issued a public warning against the introduction of offensive weapons into Cuba. -
JFK Orders a Naval “Quarantine” of Cuba
JFK ordered a naval “quarantine” of Cuba. He also sent a letter to Khrushchev declaring that the US would not permit offensive weapons to be derived to Cuba and demanded that that Soviets dismantle the missile bases and return the weapons to the USSR. JFK on TV said “It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the USSR on the US, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the USSR.” -
Khrushchev says the Blockade is an "Act of Aggression"
Khrushchev responded by saying that the US blockade was an act of aggression and the Soviet ships bound for Cuba would be ordered to proceed. -
John Scali reports to White House about Possible Agreement between USSR and US
John Scali reported to the White House that a Soviet agent suggesting that an agreement could be reached in which the Soviets would remove their missiles from Cuba if the US promised not to invade the island had approached him. -
Khrushchev sends an Emotional Message to Kennedy
• Khrushchev sent a message to Kennedy that was long and emotional and raised the specter of nuclear holocaust, and presented a proposed resolution that remarkably resembled what Scali reported earlier that day. -
Khrushchev Demands the US to Remove Jupiter Missiles
Khrushchev sent another message that any proposed deal must include the removal of US Jupiter missiles from Turkey. -
Khrushchev announces Dismantle of Soviet Missiles
Khrushchev issued a public statement saying that Soviet missiles would be dismantled and removed from Cuba. -
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR)
US issued the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) under section 5(b) of the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917. This was to isolate the Cuban government economical and deprive it of U.S. dollars. It froze all Cuban assets in the USA and limited freedom of movement between USA and Cuba because all transactions related to travel to Cuba are restricted. However, Jimmy Carter eased these travel restrictions a little while George W. Bush tightened them. -
US ends "Quarantine" on Cuba
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US removes Jupiter Missiles from Turkey
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Cuban Democracy Act (Torricelli Act)
This act was created under George H. Bush. It forbids subsidiaries of US companies from trading with Cuba, American citizens from traveling to Cuba, and remittances being sent to the country. It makes it very difficult to export these goods. It also places the conditions that food, medicine, and medical supplies for humanitarian purposes can only be made available to Cuba when the government of Cuba has changed through free and fair elections -
Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act
• US Congress approved new legislation aiming at strengthening the enforcement of the US embargo against Cuba.
• March 1996- President Bill Clinton signed the Helms-Burton Act
• Sought to strengthen international sanctions against the Castro government and to plan for support of a transition government leading to a democratically elected government in Cuba -
Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act
US started to relax the enforcement of the economic and trade embargo and allowed the sale of agricultural goods and medicine to Cuba for humanitarian reasons -
Fidel Castro Resigns and Raul Castro Takes Control
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President Obama Visits Cuba
The first sitting president in 88 years to visit Cuba. This is a major step for normalizing the relations between the US and Cuba. During his visit to Cuba, Obama meets with Raul Castro .
