ABSTRACT
There is incontrovertible evidence that even though the McKinley administration refused to declare that a state of belligerence existed in Cuba, the U.S. Army needed and wanted to secure the support of Cuban rebels during America’s upcoming military operations in the island. The best example of this is the so-called Message to García. Secretary of War Russell A. Alger and General Nelson A. Miles, commanding general of the U.S. Army, had decided that the assistance of the Cuban forces was a requirement for their upcoming campaign.
