<P> Only six months after Castro seized power, the Eisenhower administration began to plot his ouster . The United Kingdom was persuaded to cancel a sale of Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft to Cuba . The US National Security Council (NSC) met in March 1959 to consider means to institute a régime - change and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began arming guerillas inside Cuba in May . </P> <P> In January 1960 Roy R. Rubottom, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, summarized the evolution of Cuba--United States relations since January 1959: </P> <P> "The period from January to March might be characterized as the honeymoon period of the Castro government . In April a downward trend in US--Cuban relations had been evident...In June we had reached the decision that it was not possible to achieve our objectives with Castro in power and had agreed to undertake the program referred to by Undersecretary of State Livingston T. Merchant . On 31 October in agreement with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department had recommended to the President approval of a program along the lines referred to by Mr. Merchant . The approved program authorized us to support elements in Cuba opposed to the Castro government while making Castro's downfall seem to be the result of his own mistakes ." </P> <P> In February 1960 the French ship La Coubre blew up in Havana Harbor as it unloaded munitions, killing dozens . The CIA blamed the explosion on the Cuban government . </P>

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