The Bay of Pigs Invasion

Background

• Date: April 1961
• Event: Cuban exiles attempted to invade the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, to overthrow Fidel Castro's government.
• Objective: Ignite an uprising to overthrow Castro.

Pre-Castro Cuba

• Leader before Castro: General Fulgencio Batista, US-backed.
• Castro's Rise:
  • Led guerrilla army from Sierra Maestra Mountains.
  • Overthrew Batista on January 1, 1959.
  • Became Prime Minister and seized control of Cuban army.
• US-Cuba Relations:
  • US broke off diplomatic relations after Castro seized US-owned refineries.
  • Castro allied with Soviet Union, leading to security concerns in the US.

Planning the Invasion

• CIA's Role:
  • Eisenhower authorized a covert operation to overthrow Castro.
  • CIA recruited Cuban exiles (Brigade 2506) for an armed invasion.
• Training: Conducted on Useppa Island and in Guatemala; included tactics and paratrooping.

Invasion Plan

1. Phase One:
   • Destroy Castro’s combat aircraft to eliminate air threats.
   • Bombings were to be disguised as defections within Castro’s Air Force.
2. Phase Two:
   • Further destroy remaining combat planes prior to the main invasion.
3. Phase Three:
   • Main invasion by sea and air at the Bay of Pigs.

Change of Location

• Initial Site: Trinidad, later changed to Bay of Pigs for plausible deniability.
• Challenges with Bay of Pigs:
  • Favorable to Castro, difficult terrain, isolated from civilian population.

Execution of the Plan

Phase One

• Date: April 15
• Action: B-26 bombers attacked airfields, but cover story unraveled.

Phase Two

• Date: April 16
• Outcome: Kennedy canceled planned air strikes to maintain deniability.

Phase Three

• Date: April 17
• Invasion Begins:
  • Encountered navigational issues and strong resistance.
  • Cuban planes, which were not destroyed due to canceled strikes, attacked Brigade forces.

Operation Outcome

• Results:
  • Invasion failed, exiles were outmatched by Castro's forces.
  • US destroyers attempted to rescue invaders but failed.
  • Majority of Brigade 2506 were captured or killed.

Aftermath

• Failure Impact:
  • Embarrassment for the US and Kennedy administration.
  • Highlighted intelligence failures and operational mismanagement.
• Captured Brigade:
  • Many ended up in Cuban prisons.
  • Further negotiations took place for their release (see "The Negotiator").

For further reading on the fate of captured members of Brigade 2506, see the next series titled "The Negotiator."