Back channel to Cuba: the hidden history of negotiations between Washington and Havana

Introduction. Rebuilding bridges

Eisenhower : patience and forbearance

Kennedy : the secret search for accommodation

Johnson : Castro reaches out

Nixon and Ford : Kissinger's Caribbean détente

Carter : close, but no cigar

Reagan and Bush : diplomatic necessity

Clinton : from calibrated response to parallel positive steps

George W. Bush : turning back the clock

Obama : a new beginning?

Intimate adversaries, possible friends.

INTRODUCTION: Rebuilding Bridges

EISENHOWER: Patience and Forbearance

KENNEDY: The Secret Search for Accommodation

JOHNSON: Castro Reaches Out

NIXON AND FORD: Kissinger's Caribbean Détente

CARTER: Close, but No Cigar

REAGAN AND BUSH: Diplomatic Necessity

CLINTON: From Calibrated Response to Parallel Positive Steps

GEORGE W. BUSH: Turning Back the Clock

OBAMA: A New Beginning

INTIMATE ADVERSARIES, POSSIBLE FRIENDS; EPILOGUE: Cutting the Shackles of the Past: A Back-Channel Success.