james hagerty. he was press secretary to president eisenhower in 1961 when the u.s. broke off diplomatic ties with cuba. they said they hoped and expected the american embassy in havana would only be closed for a short time. that it would reopen in the not too distant future. that was 54 years ago. 1961 at the height of the cold war. this island incredibly close to the united states. lots of economic ties and tourism ties and ties through binational families. it was huge news in 1961 when the embassy closed. when diplomatic relations were cut off. even then though, with it being a blaring front page story throughout the country and the world, still, nobody thought that those diplomatic ties that were cut that day in 1961 would stay cut for 54 freaking years. it took until today. >> more than 54 years ago, at the height of the cold war, the united states closed its embassy