Fidel Castro in 2001. In return, Cuba agreed to grow oranges for the East German market, for instance. One chapter of East German-Cuban history has fascinated historians in particular: The time Fidel Castro symbolically gave a Caribbean island to the GDR as a “gift.”In June 1972, Castro made the promise during a state visit to East Germany. As economic crises rattled the communist world, East Germans could not afford to travel to Cuba. Read more:In wake of Castro’s death, Cuban exiles cheer in Miami while Havana streets stay silent

Source: Washington Post November 26, 2016 14:37 UTC