1976-1990 

December 3, 1976 - Fidel Castro is elected president of the State Council, a position which, under the new Constitution, consolidates the previous positions of president and prime minister. The new president now serves as head of state, head of government, and commander in chief of the Armed Forces. 


February 6, 1976 - Lawrence Eagleburger, representing the Kissinger State Department, meets with Nestor Garcia to continue secret discussions about family visits. Garcia agrees to such visits stating preference will be given to the aged or ill exiles and to the relatives of aged and ill Cubans. 


January 20, 1977 - Jimmy Carter is inaugurated as the 39th President of the United States. 


March 19, 1977 - President Carter drops both the ban on travel to Cuba and on US citizens spending dollars in Cuba. 


April 27, 1977 - The United States and Cuba sign a maritime boundary and fishing rights accord. 


May 30, 1977 - The United States and Cuba agree to establish "Interests Sections" in each other's country beginning on September 1. Although not formal embassies, these offices will deal primarily with trade and consular matters and will serve as channels of communication between the two countries. 


February 27, 1978 - Secretary of State Cyrus Vance states that he does not foresee the normalization of relations with Cuba because of the presence of Cuban troops in Africa. 


April 22, 1980 - Cuba announces that anyone who wishes to leave Cuba can depart from Mariel. The Mariel boatlift continues through September and results in 123,000 Cubans coming to the United States. Among these immigrants are several thousand who are criminals and several hundred who are mentally ill. 


January 20, 1981 - Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States. 


April 19, 1982 - The Reagan Administration reestablishes the travel ban, prohibits U.S. citizens from spending money in Cuba, and lets the 1977 fishing accord lapse. 


September 29, 1983 - The House approves the establishment of Radio Marti which passed the Senate on September 13 and is signed into law by President Reagan in October 1983. 


December 14, 1984 - The United States and Cuba conclude a migration agreement that provides for the repatriation of 2,746 Marielitos, U.S. admission of 3,000 political prisoners, and the immigration to the United States of 20,000 Cubans annually. 


August 22, 1986 - The U.S. Treasury Department announces new measures tightening the embargo including "crackdowns on trading with Cuban front companies located in Panama and elsewhere, closer controls on organizations which organize or promote travel to Cuba," lower limits on cash and gifts Cuban Americans send to relatives in Cuba, and tighter regulations on companies that ship food and care packages to Cuba from Cuban Americans. 


November 20, 1987 - Cuba and the United States reach an accord to reinstate the December 1984 migration agreement. 


August 23, 1988 - President Reagan signs into law a Trade Act that eliminates restrictions on imports and exports of books, films, phonograph records and other informational materials to and from Cuba. 


January 20, 1989 - George Bush is sworn in as the 41st President of the United States. 


November 6, 1989 - A Senate-House conference committee approves U.S. broadcasts on TV Marti if a feasibility test shows that it will not interfere with domestic broadcasts; President Bush makes TV Marti permanent on August 27.1990