Cuba-US relations: A missile crisis, a botched invasion, exploding cigars - a feud rich in iconic moments

It may seem hard to believe, after so many decades of diplomatic rancour, but when Fidel Castro first came to power, he did so with the assistance of the US government. In March 1958, the Eisenhower administration suspended arms shipments to the Havana regime led by General Batista. Within a year, Castro’s rebels had seized control of Cuba.