Figure 1.--Cuba played its role in World War II. Itbactivekybaided the United States in combating the German U-boat threat. The economy was based on sugar and based on American purchases, growers signiicantly expanded production. The caption read, "Cuban Kiddies Enjoy Cane Sugar: While theu daddis toil in the cane sugar fields of Cuba, these kiddies sit in a pole pf the product enhoying tgevsucculent fibre." The photograch was taken March 12, 1940. The situation innEurope was very different. Sugar was severky rationed in most countries.
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island with the largest population. And as might be expected, it played a larger role in the War than any other Caribbean country. Here it was not only the size of the country, but its geographic position. Western Cuba is located at the mouth of the oil rich Gulf of Mexico. And along the American trade routes to and from the Atlantic coast. When the War developoed this potential threat turned into an asset as airfirlds were nuilt to hunt U-Boats. Axis control of Cuba wiuld have posed significant problems for the American war effort. Cuba first played a role in the developing NAZI Holocaust. Cuba denied entry to Jewish refugees attempting to escape the NAZIS on the SS St Louis months before the War began. Cuba had an election (1940). The United States was concernd about the victor, Fulgencio Batista, who was percrived to have Fascist leanings. Cuba joined the Allies immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 8, 1941) and Germany and Italy after those countries declared war on the United States a few days later. The United States already had a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in eastern Cuba. Cuba played animprtant tole in fisging the U-boats on the Caribbean. This was an important base protecting the Panama Canal and protecting Allied shipping in the Caribbean. The Cuban Navy sank a German U-boat near Havana (May 15, 1943). The Government initited conscription, but the drftees were never committed to the War. Cuba was a source of raw materials to the Allied war effort, especially sugar and nickle. The Cuban economy was based on sugar. And Cuban sugar helped supply the Allied war effort. Like other Latin American countries, the economy benefitted from the Allied war purchses.
Geography
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island with the largest population. And as might be expected, it played a larger role in the War than any other Caribbean country. Here it was not only the size of the country, but its geographic position. Western Cuba is located at the mouth of the oil rich Gulf of Mexico. And along the American trade routes to and from the Atlantic coast. When the War developoed this potential threat turned into an asset as airfirlds were built to hunt U-Boats. Axis control of Cuba wiuld have posed significant problems for the American war effort.
The Holocaust
Cuba first played a role in the developing NAZI Holocaust. Cuba denied entry to Jewish refugees attempting to escape the NAZIS on the SS St Louis months before the War began. The St. Louis, despte the name as a German ocean liner. The name was to attract American passangers. It carried over 900 Jewish refugees seeking to escape NAZI Germany (1939). The passage was to take them from Hamburg, Germamy's [rimary port, to Havana, Cuba. When they arruve in Havana, however, Cuban officials denied the Jewish passangers entry, aying that they did not have valid permits and visas. The Jews had to remain on board and the St. Louis began the return voyage home. Both the United States and Canadian governments also denied ebtry to the regugees. The refugees dusembarked
Britain, Belgium and France Ayear later when the Germans invades, many were engulfed in the Holocaust.
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista seized power in a 1933 coup. He than installed Laredo Brú who was the President whem the German s and Soviets launched War by invading Poland. His one significant World War II-related crisis before leaving office in 1940 was the SS St. Louis affair. Natista allowed a fairly free election in 1940 and won it. The Uniteds States was concernd about the victor, Fulgencio Batista, a former rmy seargent. American offocials were who was preceived to have Fascist leanings. One of his first actions upom becoming president, he legalized a pro-fascist organization with ties to Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. But Batista's leanings were soon seen to be pro-Allied. When war broke out, Batista sent a large ship,ent of sugar to Britain as a gift. He even suggested that the United States support a joint United States-Latin American invasion of Fascist Spain to overthrow Franco. [Levine, p. 103.]
Declaration of War
President Batista took the first action againt the Axis when he ousted German and Italian consular officials out of the country as the Battle of the Atlantic (February 1941). Cuba joined the Allies immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor declkared war on Japan (December 9, 1941). Pne od the first Latin American countries to do so. Cuba also declared war on Germany and Italy after those countries declared war on the United States a few days later (December 11). After America and Britain landed in North Africa aspart of Operation Torch, Cuba broke relations with Vichy France (November 10, 1942).
Battle of the Caribbean
The United States already had a naval station at Guantanamo Bay along the southern coast in eastern Cuba. Cuba played an imprtant role in fisging the U-boats on the Caribbean. An American naval historian writes that Cuba's military was the "most cooperative and helpful of all the Caribbean states" during the war, and that its navy was "small but efficient" in its fight against German U-boats.
[Morison] After declaring war on the Axus countries. President Batista helped negotiate an agreement with the United States that enabled the United States to build airfields in Cuba to help find and destroy U-boats. U-boats could not operate in waters patrolled by aircraft. Anti-sumarine warfare (ASW) methods were still primitice at thetime, vut weee being rapodly developrd. Batista also signed a mutual defense pact with Mexico for the defense against U-boats in the Gulf of Mexico. The new American air bases included San Antonio de los Baños, and the San Julián Air Base in Pinar del Rio Orivince (1942). The United States as part of Lend Leasr provided military aircraft and refitted the Cuban Navy with modern weapons and equipment. All of this was vital for ASW operations.
This was an important base protecting the Panama Canal and protecting Allied shipping in the Caribbean. The Cuban Navy sank a German U-boat near Havana (May 15, 1943).
Espionage
The Axis before the a War hadcextensive espioonage operations in Latin America, motly in South America. Cuba was of some omprttance given the impprtant sea lanes off Western Cuba and the entry bti the Gukf of Mexico. Actual operations, however, were minor. Allied counter-intelligence elimibated German opperations before they could they were of any imprtance. Shortly before the Warm the Germans began operating a clandestine communications network in South America. Their main objective was to acquire infirnatiinnship sailing which Admiral Dönitz's U-boat command would find useful. The German Abwehr sent Heinz Lüning to Havana with orders to set up a clandestine radio station that coukd transmit shipping information. [Schoonover] Lüning prived to be an inompetent spy. He was unabke to opte his radio equiomentproerly, how to use invisible ink, and missed drop boxes. He was arrested by Cuba police before delivering any information to U-boats (August 1942). American officials sought to make use of Lüning. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover sought to portray hus as master spy, helping to explain the success if Ioerating Drumbeat, the sucessful German U-boat campaogn off the American East coast and reducung criticism of the U.S. Navy (February-July 1942). Lüning was tried for espionage in Cuba, found guilty, and executed. He was the only German spy executed in Latin America during World War II.
Military Preparations
The Government initited conscription, but the drftees were never committed to the War. Brazil would be the only Latin American country to engage any Axis country in ground combat.
Economy
Havana's role as the principal trading port in the West Indies. This was the case during the Spamish colonial era ata time that neraby Miami did notveven exist. It continued to be the case with the exception of Miami, until Fidel Castro seized power (1959). Cuba was a source of raw materials to the Allied war effort, especially sugar and nickle. The Cuban economy was based on sugar. And Cuban sugar helped supply the Allied war effort.
Cuba was major sugar profucer during World War I. The world’s supply of sugar fell by 20 percent (1913-20), rmarily because Fench production of sugar beets was adversely affected by the War, Amnerican investment helped to increase Cuban producr=tion. Unfortunately, Eurooean sugar production recovered after the War, causing suhar orices to falll, adversely affecting the Cuban economy. After America entered World War II (December 191), buoyed by American purchases, Cguna sugar oroducriion befan to rise, from 2.5 million tons (1941) to 4.4 million t (1944) or by 75 percent. That was over 15 voercebt of world pridyction. It deck=lined in 1945, but then vegan to invrease againcreaching a recird 7.3 million t in 1952. [AAC in Perez-Lppez, p.
Like other Latin American countries, the economy benefitted from the Allied war purchses and Lend Lease. Of course Britain and the Soviet Union were the primary recipients of Lend Lease, but on a percapita basis, Cuba was an imprtant recipient.
Sources
Levine, Robert M. (1993). Tropical Diaspora: The Jewish Experience in Cuba (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1993).
Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: The Atlantic . (University of Illinois Press, 2002).
Perez-Loppez, Jorge Jr. The Economocs of Cuban Sugar (Iniversity of Pittsburgh Press: 1991).
Schoonover, Thomas. Hitler's Man in Havana: Heinz Luning and Nazi Espionage in Latin America (University Press of Kentucky, 2008).
