Member-only story
Guantanamo Bay (shortened here to GB; nicknamed ‘Gitmo’), situated on the southeastern coast of Cuba, is an anomaly. At that site, the USA operates the only military base in a communist country.
A 1903 agreement permitted the unusual arrangement of GB, essentially in perpetuity. That agreement was renegotiated in 1934.
The USA does not recognize the legitimacy of Fidel Castro as Cuba’s leader.
Cuba maintains the terms of the agreement were created under duress, and has cashed only one annual lease cheque (of close to $4k) since 1959.
GB may be perhaps akin to West Berlin in the city of Berlin during the cold war days (1947–1991) before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Berlin, situated in East Germany, was under communist control. West Berlin was considered a haven by those who favored democracy.
Checkpoint Charlie (or Checkpoint C), best known of the crossing points in the Berlin Wall, stood at the junction between the two Berlins. It was the setting for such spy novels as “Octopussy,” by Ian Fleming and “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” by John le Carré.
More than a few escaped from East to West Berlin, some stowed away in cars, some in aircraft, etc. Some of the escapes were ingenious.
