South Florida was the location of many important events during the Cold War period 1945- 1989. Indeed, the region served as a forward command center for the projection of U.S. power into the Western Hemisphere throughout the conflict. The region's proximity to Latin America made it an operational center for both covert and overt activities as the United States pursued its policy of containing communism. From the 1950s until the end of the Cold War, government officials directed operations from south Florida military installations such as Homestead Air Force Base, Opa Locka Marine Air Station, and the various U.S. Navy facilities in Key West that affected events in Guatemala, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other nations throughout Latin America. From Miami to Key West, quiet residential neighborhoods were havens for undercover operatives while the swamps and forests served as training grounds. From south Florida the United States launched numerous operations: the overthrow of the Arbenz government of Guatemala in 1954; the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961; the military buildup necessitated by the Cuban missile crisis of 1962; surveillance, intelligence, and espionage activities against Cuba, Nicaragua, and other nations; and radio and television propaganda broadcasting to Cuba. All activities were justified under the U.S. foreign policy of containment. As the south Florida region helped shape these events, the events helped shape the region. In many cases, physical traces of these operations are still visible on the south Florida landscape. This Historic Resource Study (HRS) provides a historic context for, and identifies, sites in south Florida related to the Cold War and U.S. relations with Latin America. The report focuses on resources in and near the four national parks located in the region: Everglades National Park (Everglades NP), Biscayne National Park (Biscayne NP), Big Cypress National Preserve (Big Cypress NP), and Dry Tortugas National Park (Dry Tortugas NP). The study identifies structures, remains of structures, and landscapes where activities associated with the Cold War are reported to have taken place. This HRS pays particular attention to sites related to the events mentioned above as well as resources associated with the large Cuban exile population of south Florida. The historic context provides the basis for future nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.

This Historic Resource Study (HRS) provides a historic context for, and identifies, sites in south Florida related to the Cold War and U.S. relations with Latin America. The report focuses on resources in and near the four national parks located in the region: Everglades National Park (Everglades NP), Biscayne National Park (Biscayne NP), Big Cypress National Preserve (Big Cypress NP), and Dry Tortugas National Park (Dry Tortugas NP). The study identifies structures, remains of structures, and landscapes where activities associated with the Cold War are reported to have taken place. This HRS pays particular attention to sites related to the events mentioned above as well as resources associated with the large Cuban exile population of south Florida. The historic context provides the basis for future nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. The HM- 69 Nike base within Everglades National Park was listed in the National Register in 2004.

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 * U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters (HQ USACE) Historical Archives

Thousands of nuclear antiaircraft arms were designed, tested and deployed in the United States during Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. These Army "Nike-Hercules" missiles, Air Force "Genie" rockets, and "BOMARC" and "Falcon" missiles were meant to counter a raid by attacking Soviet bombers. U.S. policy makers believed that the American weapons could safely compensate for technological limitations which otherwise made it difficult to destroy high flying, fast moving airplanes. Continental Defense in the Eisenhower Era traces this armament from conception through deployment. Bright recounts official actions, doctrinal decisions, and public policies. It also discusses the widespread acceptance of these weapons by the American public, a result of being touted in news releases, featured in films and television episodes, and disseminated throughout society as a whole.