On July 6, 1960, the United States government announced trade restrictions that effectively prohibited most exports from the U.S. to Cuba. The measure came in the context of escalating tensions following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the nationalization of U.S.-owned Cuban property, and Cuba’s growing political and economic ties with the Soviet Union. Background Fulgencio Batista’s government had been overthrown in January 1959 by forces led by Fidel Castro. The new Cuban government undertook sweeping agrarian and industrial reforms, and in 1960 began nationalizing foreign-owned businesses, including significant U.S. agricultural and industrial holdings. Washington responded with diplomatic protests, economic pressures, and increased scrutiny of Cuba’s trade and finance activities. The Embargo’s Origins and Scope The July 6 measures followed a series of U.S. actions earlier in 1960, including the cutting of sugar import quotas and other trade restrictions aimed at pressuring Havana to compensate U.S. companies. On July 6 the U.S. effectively banned most exports to Cuba by blocking shipments for all but a narrow set of humanitarian goods. The policy was implemented through executive and administrative actions rather than a single comprehensive statute at that moment, and it relied on customs enforcement, export controls, and restrictions on trade financing. Immediate Effects The embargo significantly disrupted Cuba’s economy, which had been heavily dependent on trade with the United States—especially sugar exports and imports of food, machinery, and fuel. Cuba moved increasingly to deepen economic and military ties with the Soviet Union and other socialist states to offset the loss of U.S. trade and investment. For the United States, the embargo became a key piece of a broader policy aimed at isolating communist influence in the Western Hemisphere. Legal and Political Evolution The July 1960 actions were an early stage in what became a longer-standing U.S. policy of restrictions and sanctions. Over subsequent years, the embargo’s legal framework expanded and contracted through additional executive orders, congressional legislation, and regulation. Notably, in 1962 the U.S. tightened restrictions further after the Bay of Pigs invasion and amid the Cuba–Soviet alignment, culminating in a near-total trade embargo that remained the core U.S. policy for decades, subject to later modifications. Contested Legacy Historians and policymakers debate the embargo’s effectiveness and humanitarian impact. Supporters argued it was a legitimate tool to oppose the spread of Soviet influence and to pressure the Cuban government on expropriation and human rights. Critics contend it hardened Cuba’s dependence on the Soviet bloc, harmed ordinary Cubans, and limited avenues for diplomatic engagement. The July 6, 1960 measures are therefore best understood as a pivotal early step in a long-standing and contentious U.S. policy toward Cuba—one that both reflected and intensified Cold War rivalries in the Americas.