No U.S. secretary of State has visited Havana since Edward R. Stettinius Jr. stopped by for a day in March 1945 to show American support for a short-lived democratic government.
John F. Kerry will end that long absence Friday when he flies to the Cuban capital to raise the U.S. flag for the first time in 54 years at the newly reopened U.S. Embassy, giving another push to efforts to normalize ties between the former Cold War foes.
In an interview Wednesday with Telemundo, the U.S.-based Spanish-language network, Kerry said he also intends to try his hand at personal diplomacy by taking a stroll in Old Havana, “meeting whoever I meet and listening to them and having, you know, whatever views come at me.