How did the US get Guantanamo Bay?
The US first seized Guantanamo Bay and established a naval base there in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. In 1903, the US and Cuba signed a lease granting the US permission to use the land as a coaling and naval station. The lease satisfied the Platt Amendment; this amendment stated a naval base at “certain specific points agreed upon by the President of the United States” was needed to “enable the United States to maintain independence of Cuba.” The US and Cuba signed a treaty in 1934, granting the US a perpetual lease; private enterprise is not allowed under the treaty. Both the US and Cuba must agree on any termination of the lease, effectively making the land US soil since the US will never agree to give up the property.
