Cuban Timeline (Dates through 1961 courtesy of Stanford History Education Group)
August 1958 – Fidel Castro’s armies launched an attack on President Fulgencio Batista’s government, surrounding major cities and cutting off railways and supply lines.
December 31,1958 – Batista fled Havana, the capital of Cuba, and Castro took power. President Dwight Eisenhower recognized the new Cuban government soon after.
April 1959 – Castro visited the United States and met with Vice President Richard Nixon. He was greeted by cheering crowds in many cities.
May 1959 – Castro signed the Agrarian Reform Act, which banned foreign ownership of land in Cuba and limited landholdings to 1,000 acres. The government took over any amount over 1,000 acres owned by a single family or company, broke it up, and gave it to peasants or turned it into state-run communes.
February 1960 – Cuba and the USSR agreed to begin trading sugar, oil, and grain.
March 1960 – Eisenhower approved funding and training for a plan to overthrow Castro. He also approved an embargo of sugar, oil, and guns, banning Americans from trading these items with Cuba.
July 1960 – Castro began nationalizing U.S. companies operating in Cuba.
January 3, 1961 – The U.S. ended diplomatic relations with Cuba.
January 20, 1961 – John F. Kennedy became president. He defeated Nixon, who had been Eisenhower’s Vice President. During the campaign, Kennedy accused Eisenhower and Nixon of not doing enough to stop Castro, asking in one campaign speech, “How did we permit the Communists to establish this foothold 90 miles away?”
April 17, 1961 – A CIA-funded invasion of Cuba, known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, was launched with the goal of overthrowing Castro. Castro’s army defeated the invasion within a few days.
October 16, 1962 - John F. Kennedy is informed by National Security Advisor of the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in San Cristobal, Cuba, 90 miles from Florida's coast.
October 23, 1962 - John F. Kennedy signs a proclamation to use the U.S. navy to cut off Soviet access to Cuba.
October 27, 1962 - After much aggressive correspondence, Robert Kennedy and the Soviet Ambassador agree in a secret meeting that the USSR will withdrawal missiles from Cuba if the U.S. promises not to attack Cuba. There is also a secret deal that the United States will withdrawal missiles from Soviet neighbor Turkey. This part of the deal is not made public.
December 31,1958 – Batista fled Havana, the capital of Cuba, and Castro took power. President Dwight Eisenhower recognized the new Cuban government soon after.
April 1959 – Castro visited the United States and met with Vice President Richard Nixon. He was greeted by cheering crowds in many cities.
May 1959 – Castro signed the Agrarian Reform Act, which banned foreign ownership of land in Cuba and limited landholdings to 1,000 acres. The government took over any amount over 1,000 acres owned by a single family or company, broke it up, and gave it to peasants or turned it into state-run communes.
February 1960 – Cuba and the USSR agreed to begin trading sugar, oil, and grain.
March 1960 – Eisenhower approved funding and training for a plan to overthrow Castro. He also approved an embargo of sugar, oil, and guns, banning Americans from trading these items with Cuba.
July 1960 – Castro began nationalizing U.S. companies operating in Cuba.
January 3, 1961 – The U.S. ended diplomatic relations with Cuba.
January 20, 1961 – John F. Kennedy became president. He defeated Nixon, who had been Eisenhower’s Vice President. During the campaign, Kennedy accused Eisenhower and Nixon of not doing enough to stop Castro, asking in one campaign speech, “How did we permit the Communists to establish this foothold 90 miles away?”
April 17, 1961 – A CIA-funded invasion of Cuba, known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, was launched with the goal of overthrowing Castro. Castro’s army defeated the invasion within a few days.
October 16, 1962 - John F. Kennedy is informed by National Security Advisor of the construction of a Soviet nuclear missile base in San Cristobal, Cuba, 90 miles from Florida's coast.
October 23, 1962 - John F. Kennedy signs a proclamation to use the U.S. navy to cut off Soviet access to Cuba.
October 27, 1962 - After much aggressive correspondence, Robert Kennedy and the Soviet Ambassador agree in a secret meeting that the USSR will withdrawal missiles from Cuba if the U.S. promises not to attack Cuba. There is also a secret deal that the United States will withdrawal missiles from Soviet neighbor Turkey. This part of the deal is not made public.