Federico Laredo Brú served the concluding years of Gómez' term leading the way for an ambitious Batista.

[2] Under Federico Laredo Brú, amnesties were granted including to the brutal, former dictator Gerardo Machado and the Cuban Congress passed many social welfare measures as well as laws creating pensions, insurance, minimum wages, and limited working hours.

[3] Though the United States had been a dominant force in Cuban politics since 1898 causing anti-American sentiment among the educated, the U.S. presence was lessened under Brú.

On May 27, 1939, the ocean liner MS St. Louis arrived, carrying 930 Jewish refugees from Hamburg, Germany fleeing Hitler's persecutions, and was refused permission to land by Laredo Brú.

Cuban government-issued landing certificates held by the passengers had been invalidated by Laredo Brú's government during their transit.