Philip Bonsal (1903-June 28, 1995) was a
United States foreignThe United States has formal diplomatic relations with most countries on the world.-Pacific:-Latin America:-Caribbean:The term "Caribbean" is used loosely to refer to countries in or near the Caribbean sea other than those included under "Latin America"....
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and the last United States Ambassador to Cuba.
Bonsal was born in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1903, his father was Stephen Bonsal, a well-known Far Eastern correspondent. Bonsal became
AmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents their country. They are usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of their country....
to
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
1955,
BoliviaBolivia, officially Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, and Chile and Peru to the west....
1957-59,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
1959-60 and
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
1961-62. Prior to becoming an ambassador Bonsal had been chief of the Latin American Division and an employee of
AT&TAT&T Inc. is the largest provider of local, long distance telephone services in the United States, and also serves digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150...
in Cuba, he was considered a "Latin American hand" due to his apparent
LatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."* "A Latin American."...
background.
Philip Bonsal (1903-June 28, 1995) was a
United States foreignThe United States has formal diplomatic relations with most countries on the world.-Pacific:-Latin America:-Caribbean:The term "Caribbean" is used loosely to refer to countries in or near the Caribbean sea other than those included under "Latin America"....
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and the last United States Ambassador to Cuba.
Biography
Bonsal was born in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1903, his father was Stephen Bonsal, a well-known Far Eastern correspondent. Bonsal became
AmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents their country. They are usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of their country....
to
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
1955,
BoliviaBolivia, officially Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, and Chile and Peru to the west....
1957-59,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
1959-60 and
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
1961-62. Prior to becoming an ambassador Bonsal had been chief of the Latin American Division and an employee of
AT&TAT&T Inc. is the largest provider of local, long distance telephone services in the United States, and also serves digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150...
in Cuba, he was considered a "Latin American hand" due to his apparent
LatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."* "A Latin American."...
background. After his brief spell as Ambassador to Cuba, Bonsal published the book "Cuba, Castro and the United States".
Cuba
In 1959 Bonsal became the first United States Ambassador to return to Cuba after the
Cuban revolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt that led to the overthrow of U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista of Cuba on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro....
and reportedly attempted to find a working arrangement with the leader of the new Cuban government,
Fidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician, one of the primary leaders of the Cuban Revolution, the Prime Minister of Cuba from February 1959 to December 1976, and then the President of the Council of State of Cuba until his resignation from the office in February 2008...
. Bonsal admitted that "animosity was inevitable", but he was hopeful that "at some point we can get down to a reasoned dialogue". Castro was critical of the arrival of Bonsal in the Cuban press comparing him to a colonial
ViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. His province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty. The relative...
, and dialogue was not easily forthcoming. On September 4, 1959 Bonsal met with Castro to express “serious concern at the treatment being given American private interests in Cuba both agriculture and utilities.” Castro responded by saying he “admires Americans, especially tourists, for whom he is planning great things.”
Bonsal's reconcillatory approach was also poorly received by leading members of the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
, who felt his methods were an appeasement of
communismCommunism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general. Karl Marx posited that communism would be the final stage in human...
. He was withdrawn after serving barely a year in office. Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed shortly after, and current US diplomatic representation in Cuba is handled by the
United States Interests Section in HavanaThe United States Interests Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana, Cuba or USINT Havana represents US interests in Cuba. It is staffed by United States Foreign Service personnel and local staff employed by the US Department of State...
which remains part of the embassy of
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
.
See also
- Cuba-United States relations
Cuba and the United States of America have had an interest in one another since well before either of their independence movements. Plans for purchase of the nearby island have been put forward at various times by the United States...
- History of Cuba
Cuba, the largest of the Caribbean islands, was inhabited by Indigenous peoples when Christopher Columbus sighted the island during his first voyage of discovery on 27 October 1492, and claimed it for Spain...