Thousands of Americans who had put down roots in Cuba were forced by the Castro regime to flee in the 1960s. Their property was promptly seized by the government. Their plight was exemplified by Cuba’s most famous American resident, Ernest Hemingway, who left his beloved Cuban estate, Finca Vigia. (Hemingway killed himself a year later.) Hemingway even left behind unfinished manuscripts, he was in such a hurry to go. (Some believe it wasn’t Castro who pushed out Hemingway, but rather the US that forced Hemingway to leave.)
With the US and Cuba officially re-establishing diplomatic relations, those American families pushed out by Castro’s revolution now have renewed hope of receiving reparations for their long-ago confiscated property. The US State Department acknowledged that claims would be part of the new reality, while warning that “reaching agreement on resolving outstanding claims is often a lengthy process.” Still, the State Department says: “now that we have reached an agreement on the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, we believe that a discussion of property claims should follow shortly.”
