ABSTRACT
THOUGH RELATIONS BETWEEN Cuba and the United States already were tense at end of the Carter administration, the incoming Reagan administration charged full force ahead to heighten the tension. Several officials of the new government advocated harsh measures against Cuba even before they assumed office. Cuba quickly became the focal point of their anticommunist crusade. 1 From the start they pursued a "get tough" policy and were joined by others who shared their perspective. A strident and consistent theme quickly emerged that Cuba was an implacable enemy of the United States. 2
