Going to Guantanamo

The U.S. military detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, continues to cause controversy. Everyone has an opinion. But not everyone knows how the United States wound up with beachfront property in communist Cuba to begin with--or why it keeps the property now. Do you?

Why Go to Guantanamo?

The United States first took an interest in Guantanamo Bay because the Spanish were there. At the end of the 19th century, Spain had imperial outposts throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States was increasingly unwilling to give a European power authority in its backyard.

That tension culminated in the Spanish-American War. After the two nations declared war on each other in 1898, American forces intervened in a struggle between Spanish forces and Cuban revolutionaries, who had been fighting for independence. On June 10, 1898, a battalion of marines landed in Guantanamo Bay on Cuba's southeast coast. Americans have been there ever since.

Why Not Leave?

Guantanamo Bay is one of the largest in the world and deep enough to accommodate even the most massive modern vessels. With a position there, America could respond quickly to crises throughout the region. What's more, Guantanamo Bay commands the "Windward Passage" between Cuba and Haiti, which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. Control it, and you control access to the entire area (including, today, access to the Panama Canal).

With these interests in mind, American negotiators made sure to secure indefinite rights to Cuba's valuable port. On February 23, 1903, Tomás Estrada Palma, the first president of newly independent Cuba, signed a treaty in which America gained rights to Guantanamo Bay for as long as it wanted to stay there. In return, Cuba would get 2,000 gold coins (roughly $4,000) per year. How's that for rent control?

A Thorn in Communism's Side

The base grew steadily until 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. The victorious communist rebels wanted the Yankees off the island. But President Dwight Eisenhower told Castro that wasn't going to happen. The dispute marked the start of decades of tension and mutual hostility.

Castro has threatened to seize the base several times, but to no avail. In 1964, he cut off the base's water supply, but the United States countered by building desalinization plants. Today, "Gitmo" is entirely self-reliant. In addition to desalinated water, the base produces its own electricity with diesel generators and wind turbines.

Port, Pit Stop, and Prison

The U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay is now America's oldest overseas military installation, and the only one on communist soil. It's home to about 10,000 military personnel, who support the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, perform training exercises, and engage in anti-drug operations.

In the last decades of the 20th century, Guantanamo Bay often served as temporary housing for refugees from Haiti and other areas. It first served as a prison in 2002, when captives taken during the war in Afghanistan were transferred there. The prisoner population now stands at around 270 suspected terrorists.