Cold War in South Florida Historic Resource Study: CIA, Cuba and Castro, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Radio Marti, Arbenz, Guatemala, Everglades, Counterinsurgency Technology Research

This historic resource study by the National Park Service covers the Cold War and historic resources related to it located in south Florida. The study deals with Cold War-related activities and resources in four units of the National Park Services as well as nearby areas. Historians and preservationists are increasingly devoting their attention to the Cold War, which was the defining event in the history of the second half of the twentieth century. This study is a first step in understanding the unique role played by Florida and Florida National Parks in the history of the Cold War. Our hope is that it will serve as a catalyst for the preservation of Cold War-related resources throughout the State of Florida. The study has already resulted in a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the HM-69 Nike Missile Base within Everglades National Park.

Topics and subjects covered include: CIA, Cuba and Castro, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Radio Marti, Arbenz, Guatemala, Everglades, Counterinsurgency Technology Research

Section One: Brief Overview of the Cold War and Related Activities in South Florida * World War II, the Bomb, and the Origins of the Cold War * Eisenhower, Latin America, and Cold War Precedents for South Florida History * Building a Strategic Cold War Defense Infrastructure * The Cuban Revolution: South Florida Becomes "Ground Zero" in the Cold War * Counterinsurgency Technology and Florida's Role as an Open Air Research Lab * The End of the Secret War and the Legacy of Covert Activity in South Florida * Detente and a Reduction in Cold War Tensions * Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the Cuban Exile-Contra Connection * The End of the Cold War and the Legacy of the Battle * Section Two: South Florida Cold War Historic Resource List * Cold War Resources Located Within South Florida National Parks * Big Cypress National Preserve (Big Cypress NP) * Dade Collier Training Airport * CIA Arms Cache * Biscayne National Park (Biscayne NP) * Elliott Key * Dry Tortugas National Park (Dry Tortugas NP) * East Key * Garden Key * Hospital Key * Loggerhead Key * Other Possible Dry Tortugas NP Resources * Everglades National Park (Everglades NP) * Broad River * Cape Sable * Clive Key/Man of War Key/Sandy Key * East Everglades * Flamingo * Florida Bay * Ground Observer Corps Activities * Hole In the Donut * Long Pine Key * Palma Vista Hammock * Parachute Key Visitor Center * Pine Island * Pine Island Utility Area * Royal Palm Visitor Center * Seven Mile Road * Seven Mile Tower * Sisal Hammock * U.S. Department of State Activities * Other possible Everglades NP resources * Cold War Resources Located Near South Florida National Parks * Other Cold War-Related Resources in South Florida * Aerojet General Solid Rocket Booster Facility * Big Pine Key * Boca Chica Key * Card Sound Area * Coconut Grove * Coral Gables * Cudjoe Key * Florida City * Flo-Sun Sugar Corporation/Fanjul Family/Cuban Exile Sugar Growing Operations * Goulds * Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) * Homestead Area * Hutchinson Island * Key Biscayne * Key Largo * Key West * Lignum Vitae Key * Linderman Key * Marathon Key * Miami Area * Miami Beach * Naranja * No Name Key * Opa Locka * Palm Beach/Peanut Island * Port Everglades * Richmond * Sugarloaf Key * Useppa Island * Section Three: Notes on Sources and Suggestions for Further Research * Archives and Research Facilities Visited for this Report * Everglades NP Museum Archives * National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) I-Suitland, Maryland * National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) II-College Park, Maryland * National Security Archive-George Washington University, Washington, D.C * Naval Historical Center-Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C * Richter Library-University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida * U.S. Army Center for Military History (CMH)-Fort Myer, Washington, D.C