Pre-1959: - The Caribbean was regarded by America as its own 'backyard'. America needed Cuba in order to maintain stability and subsequently protect its own interests. The Cuban constitution (or, more specifically, the Platt Amendment) gave America rights of intervention, and allowed them to hold naval bases within the country's territory - hence, the infamous base at Guantanamo Bay. Though portraying its relationship with Cuba as remote, as much as it was benevolent, the US had far more influence within their affairs than one might have immediately assumed. - After a period of exile, Fidel Castro returned to Cuba in Dec 1959, with his brother Raul, 'Che' Guevara, and 79 supporters. The gorup was dubbed 'los barbudos' by locals. Castro grew in support following his guerrilla campaign against Fulgencio Batista, Cuba's current dictator. - 1 Jan 1959: Batista's regime collapsed, Castro riding triumphantly into Havana. The question became one of how America would respond, and what dynamic its relationship with Cuba would take now. - America had shown little support for Batista's regime during the revolution, willing to let it unfold given that the revolution itself was not Communist/receiving aid from Communist countries. - May 1958: VP Nixon visited the Caribbean, US FP shifting to focus on this area. Economic stability was its main objective regarding Latin America, aiding the creation of the Inter-American Development Bank and regional common markets. Eisenhower also agreed not to offer American support to dictators, and ordered an embargo upon further arms shipments to Batista. - Though the US were not against the revolution in Cuba, their response was not to support it, but to reduce US economic and political influence there. - Castro needed the support of a great power in order to counter this and maintain stability within Cuba, led him into waiting Soviet arms. In May 1959, he launched a series of agrarian reform, which led to a the seizure of lot of American owned property. This did not immediately generate American hostility, as they were moderate reforms. - American neutrality towards the situation within Cuba stopped when Soviet First Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan visited in Feb 1960 and arranged for $100 million in credits, tying Cuba into an economic and political relationship with the USSR.