[Leica] Cuba?

[leica at web-options.com (Bob W)]

> Some time ago, I became acquainted with a veteran from the Spanish  
> Civil War. He was lucky enough to have been repatriated to 
> the United  
> States. That was before, and just barely, Petain had those interned  
> on the French side of the border sent to the Mauthausen-Gusen camp.
> So while we were talking, I asked a question for which I could never  
> get a straight answer. That was whether the Mexican 
> contingent in the  
> Republican forces were the largest group of foreign volunteers, as  
> most historical presentation would have it. Without hesitation, he  
> said the Cubans were. I stood there, somewhat transfixed for a  
> moment, and said to him, now it makes sense. That is, the American  
> reaction(s) to Cuba.
> sd

I don't understand how this makes sense of the US attitude towards Cuba, and
I'd be grateful if you could explain. 

I don't know a great deal about this, but I sutudied a bit of Spanish
history when I was learning Spanish at college, and some of my school
teachers were veterans of the civil war. Here is how I figure it - please
correct me if I've got things wrong:

The Spanish Civil War (73 years ago) was a long time before the Cuban
revolution (50 years and 3 days ago), and before the revolution Cuba was a
banana republic client of the USA. Since the USA was neutral about the
Spanish Civil War it's likely that the Cuban government's position would
also have been officially neutral, and Cubans who went to Spain would have
been volunteers, even if unofficially helped by the government. Given the
historical relationship between Spain and Cuba it would be entirely
understandable for many Cubans to wish to be involved in the civil war on
one side or the other, but they would, officially at least, have been
volunteers who went under their own steam.

The current attitude of the US towards Cuba arises from the time of the
Cuban revolution and the relationship between Cuba and the then Soviet
Union. The Cuban revolution did so a great deal of damage to US interests
over there; Cuba, with Soviet backing, tried to export the revolution to
other parts of Central and South America, and Cuba became a potential
bridgehead for the Soviets into the US, so the USA took a hard line about
relationships with Cuba. 

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the hard line is continued not
because of any real threat to the US from Cuba, but because of continued
vested political interests.

I'd be interested to find out why you think the Spanish Civil War has
anything to do with the US attitude to Cuba.

Bob