The US has leased Guantanamo Bay from Cuba since 1898, paying an annual rent of $4,085 USD since 1903. Cuba has refused to cash the checks for nearly 60 years, wanting to prevent US occupation. The base is now known for its controversial treatment of terrorist suspects, with 40 inmates still held there. President Trump has signed an executive order to keep the prison open indefinitely.
If timely rent payment is what makes a good tenant, then the United States has been an ideal tenant for Cuba. However, the United States has also been exceptionally difficult to evict. The United States has leased Guantanamo Bay in Cuba since the Spanish-American War in 1898 and has paid an annual rent of about $4,085 USD since 1903. Or at least it has tried to pay. For nearly 60 years, Cuba has refused to cash any of those checks because it doesn’t want America to occupy Guantanamo Bay again. The 45-square-mile (117-square-kilometer) area is home to a US naval base and detention center, and former Cuban President Fidel Castro has said using it for this “dirty work” is illegal. The base was originally established as a fueling station that helped America protect the Panama Canal, but is now better known for its controversial treatment of terrorist suspects. Castro argued that since the base no longer serves any strategic military purpose, it should be closed. In a famous television interview, the fiery Cuban leader showed off a desk full of uncashed US checks, all payable to the “Treasurer General of the Republic,” a position that hadn’t existed since the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
The dark history of Guantanamo:
Since the camp was established by former President George W. Bush in 2002 at the start of the War on Terror, a total of 779 suspected enemy combatants have been imprisoned there.
Although former President Barack Obama has pledged to close the detention center, his plans have been met with strong opposition from Congress.
As of 2019, there are still 40 inmates held at Guantanamo Bay, and President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to keep the prison open indefinitely.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
