On sultry morning, old Cold War foes restore full diplomatic ties
By Karen DeYoung and Brian Murphy July 20 at 9:38 AM
One of the remaining hallmarks of the Cold War passed into history in a near-empty State Department on Monday as the Cuban flag joined the array of nations with full diplomatic relations with the United States.
Only a few early risers were on hand to mark the pre-dawn transition — the latest in a step-by-step process to bury 54 years of diplomatic estrangement. A worker in a short-sleeve shirt slipped Cuba’s single-star flag into the line of national colors at the State Department’s C Street entrance.
Later Monday, Cuban officials will officially inaugurate full embassy status at the country’s 98-year-old Washington mansion, which has served as Cuba’s interests section for decades. A similar event is scheduled for next month in Havana when Secretary of State John F. Kerry plans a history-making trip to the island.
But the real moment passed with just a tick of the clock.
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