“LATE OCTOBER 1959: President [Dwight D.] Eisenhower approves a program proposed by the Department of State, in agreement with the CIA, to support elements in Cuba opposed to the Castro government. The operations are intended to make Castro’s downfall seem to be the result of his own mistakes. As a part of this program, Cuban […]
Tag: quotes
9/4/1959
“SEP 4, 1959: [United States] Ambassador [Philip Wilson] Bonsal meets with Fidel Castro in Cuba. The Ambassador expresses, ‘our serious concern at the treatment being given American private interests in Cuba both agriculture and utilities.’ Castro responds saying he ‘admires Americans, especially tourists, for whom he is planning great things.’” “The Bay of Pigs Invasion/Playa […]
7/8/1959
“JUL 8, 1959: A CIA briefing for the National Security Council reports on ‘preparations in Cuba for efforts against Dominican Republic, either directly or through Haiti.’” “The Bay of Pigs Invasion/Playa Giron: A Chronology of Events,” The National Security Archive, NSArchive2.gwu.edu […]
6/11/1959
“11.06.59 In the context of the enforcement of the Agrarian Reform Law enacted in May 1959, the United States threatened to reduce the Cuban sugar quota, ban U.S. private investments and cut all economic assistance, if American properties were nationalized without prompt compensation.” “Dwight D. Eisenhower (R), Timeline,” Cuba versus Blockade: Cuban People’s Website, 2007 […]
4/19/1959
“APR 19, 1959: During Fidel Castro’s first post revolution trip to Washington, he meets with Vice President Richard Nixon for three and a half hours. ‘I spent as much time as I could trying to emphasize that he had the great gift of leadership, but that it was the responsibility of a leader not always […]
3/15/1959
“By March, 1959, just three months after the triumph of the revolution, [US President Dwight D.] Eisenhower and his National Security Council were discussing ways to overthrow the government and replace them with people who were more aligned with U.S. interests. So it happened very early on. Before 1959 was over, the CIA was already […]
1/15/1959
“The Cuban revolution was going very strong from January 1959 on. Any Cuban who was involved or who has studied that period can tell you that the easy part was achieving power and the overthrow of the [Fulgencio] Batista dictatorship. Making the revolution after taking power was the really hard part. That was the transformation […]
1/7/1959
“The United States recognized the new Cuban government, headed by Fidel Castro, on January 7, 1959. However, bilateral relations deteriorated rapidly as the regime expropriated U.S. properties and moved towards adoption of a one-party Marxist-Leninist system.” “U.S.-Cuba Relations,” Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; U.S. Department of State, 2001-2009.state.gov, May 1, 2001 […]
1/1/1959
“JAN 1, 1959…Fidel Castro gives a victory speech from Santiago:this new revolution, he states, will not be like 1898, ‘when the North Americans cane and made themselves masters of our country.’” “The Bay of Pigs Invasion/Playa Giron: A Chronology of Events,” The National Security Archive, NSArchive2.gwu.edu […]
12/15/1956
“They were twelve men, with Fidel [Castro], going up into the Sierra Maestra mountains-the very high, rugged mountain range on the southeastern coast of Cuba in December 1956. Twelve men against [Cuban President Fulgencio] Batista’s army of 40,000. The most amazing thing is that they were able in two years to defeat Batista’s army. Because […]