transactions in foreign Currencieg anal the exPort or mlnlng or allocation of currency, golal, silver etc. by any legal or natural pergon betgeen the unlted states and cuba. Au bank "douni" and securities of any klnd beld by a cuban national in the Unlted states were frozen and could not be uged for any transaction. Theae economlc eobargo oeasures rrere aPPtied to their fullest extent' 20. rn February 1954, the united states Departoent of conmerce eltoinated lard from the short list of AdeEican products whlch could stlll be bought by cuba on the Amertcan market. Larit, of etllch cuba hail been a traditional purcha€et' uas a Eurplus product of the pork by-products industry not greatly in 'lemand on the North Aoerican narket, wlrlch hat| thus beneftted fro$ that trade. Thus' t{or th Amertcan producers were ln turn affected by this oeaBure against cuba' 21. In May 1954, the DePartnent of Coomelce i oposed a total ban on Ehlpments of foodstuffs and rugs to cuba. ZZ. The Provlsions of the 1977 Internstional Developnent and Food Asststance Act (P.L. 95198) prohibits lhe use of funtls authorizetl by the Act for ald to cuba' as long as the prohlbition on econooic aitl and footl aid or salea renaing in force' Economic oeasurea as a means of exertlnq political and econoolc presEure on cuba 23. In January 1959, the cuban econony was in a lamentable Etate as far as relatlons \,ith the outeide world rdere concerned, i,ith a chronlc balance of payments tleftclt resu!.ting from its economic tlependence on the Unlted States' 24. Since lt vra s vital for cuba to undertake structural reforos in order to brinq about economic development' lt ira 5 forced to coPe at the saoe tlne with the coerclve economic blockade oeagures imposed by the Unlted states' For 26 years Ehe
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the economic relations between the United States and Cuba, particularly the economic embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. The text mentions the trade restrictions, the impact on the Cuban economy, and the measures taken by the United States to exert economic pressure on Cuba. This suggests that the category should be related to international trade and economic development.

**Category**
International trade, Economic development