Nation: The Good Life at Gitmo

Christopher Columbus anchored in the bay in 1494. Pirates and privateers used it in the 17th century as a hideout. U.S. forces landed there in 1898 to help the Cubans overthrow their Spanish rulers, and stayed for good. Guantanamo Bay, a pouch-shaped indentation in southeastern Cuba, is one of the world's great natural harbors and, even in an age of intercontinental missiles, strategically valuable. Last week the 45-sq.-mi. bay and the Navy base on its shores took on new significance when Jimmy Carter announced that the Marines would soon come ashore on maneuvers...

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