That the United States has a penchant for meddling in foreign affairs isn’t new. Despite a long history marked by conflict, controversy, and violence, few historical accounts measure up to the disaster that was the Bay of Pigs.
The invasion of Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) or Playa Girón (Girón Beach) in Cuba was financed and directed by the US government during John F. Kennedy’s administration. Its events took place after Fidel Castro came into power when he overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.
The goal was to bring down Castro who had connections with Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union. With an elaborate plan and around 1,400 exiles ready for battle, everyone thought the invasion was bound to be a success. Instead of rekindling Cuba’s reliance on the US, however, the plan backfired and prompted the island country to nurture even closer ties with the Soviet Union.
Here is all you need to know about the invasion, its aftermath, and everything in between.
How It All Began
In 1959, the left-wing revolution ended in Cuba with President Fulgencio Batista ousted by Fidel Castro. Castro’s regime quickly severed its ties with the United States. Cuba started to undermine the United States and its economic assets, building relationships with the Soviet Union—America’s long-sworn opposition during the Cold War.
Cuba’s proximity to the United States and its budding relations with the Soviet Union under Castro’s leadership concerned the US government. In 1960, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) came up with a plan to invade Cuba and end Castro’s regime.
Eisenhower appointed former Cuban President José Miró Cardona head of the Cuban Revolutionary Council. He was to lead the anti-Castro movement and take over as the interim president if the invasion succeeded.
As the organizer of the operation, the CIA trained and funded a group of Cuban exiles to serve the Democratic Revolutionary Front. These exiles from Miami called themselves Brigade 2506. They named themselves after the serial number of Carlos Rodriguez Santana, a fellow exile who died from a training accident. Brigade 2506 secretly trained in Florida camps, eventually moving to bases in Sierra Madre, Guatemala.
In November 1960, newly elected president, John F. Kennedy, learned about the plan to invade Cuba. Although he didn’t know much about it, he consented to the invasion after several consultations with his advisors. However, things didn’t go as expected.
Castro and His Ties to the Soviet Union
Fidel Castro, a young attorney with a flair for politics, entered Cuba hoping to defeat Fulgencio Batista and his dictatorship. Along with his brother, Raúl Castro, and 120 others, Castro attempted to invade Cuba’s second-largest military garrison. Though he failed, his revolt sparked a movement.
Batista was corrupt but he had good ties with Americans and was considered an ally to US corporations. By the time the invasion of the Bay of Pigs happened, most Americans owned Cuba’s sugar plantations, cattle ranches, mines, and utilities.
Castro disapproved of the Americans and their businesses in Cuba. He firmly believed that Cubans should have more control over their own nation. It was at this time that the slogan, “Cuba Sí, Yanquis No” (translated to “Cuba Yes, Yankees No”) became popular. Two years later, upon his release, Castro had already planned a revolution called the 26th of July Movement. His revolutionary guerrilla group included the likes of Ché Guevara. Together, they fought Batista’s military until he admitted defeat. Batista’s relinquishment meant that Fidel could take over.
Consequently, Castro’s victory significantly reduced America’s involvement and influence. Most American-dominated industries, like sugar and mining, were nationalized through new land reform schemes, allowing the government to act more autonomously.
In 1960, Castro started to build diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, intensifying growing concerns from the United States. The US responded by prohibiting the importation of sugar from Cuba, which accounted for about 80% of the country’s production. In an attempt to save the Cuban economy, Cuba decided to sell its sugar to the Soviet Union.
Ties between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Cuba became stronger while Cuba’s diplomatic relationship with the United States completely deteriorated. Eisenhower saw the need to secure the country’s borders, and so the Bay of Pigs invasion was planned.
What Went Wrong?
The original plan was to launch an air strike that would defeat Castro’s air force. The attack would precede the arrival of 1,400 trained Cuban expats on the south coast, an area known as the Bay of Pigs.
These exiles would be flown from Miami to Cuba, where they would stake their claim and appoint themselves as the rightful leaders of the country. They would then invite US troops to help them depose Castro.
Operation Zapata, formed by Eisenhower and executed by John F. Kennedy, seemed like the perfect plan. Kennedy was new to the seat, having taken his presidential oath just a few weeks ago. But the burden of approving the decision to invade Cuba fell on him. After thorough consultations, Kennedy authorized the invasion.
Unfortunately, Castro learned about the operation from intelligence channels before it launched. To make matters worse, the New York Times published an article about experts who were being trained to invade Cuba.
“I can’t believe what I’m reading! Castro doesn’t need agents over here. All he has to do is read our papers!” Kennedy commented. Despite these developments, the invasion wasn’t called off.
Jim Rasenberger, author of The Brilliant Disaster, commented, “I think Kennedy knew very well what he was getting into, but he was in a tough place.”
The Failed Attack
On April 15, mere hours after B-26 air crafts bombed Cuban airfields, the United States encountered problems. The air strike didn’t destroy Cuba’s air force, causing a domino effect that would influence the success of the other planned attacks.
A bomber, planted by CIA operatives, landed at the Miami International Airport from Nicograguay and said he was a defector from Cuba’s air force. This was supposed to give the impression that the air strikes were conducted by militant members under Castro’s regime. The CIA went as far as to make the plane look like it belonged to Cuba’s air force. They even shot bullet holes in it as if it had weathered combat. But hawkeyed reporters reviewed the plane’s paint and gun barrels, quickly differentiating it from Cuban warplanes.
Kennedy could no longer deny the US nation’s involvement in the attack. When April 16 arrived, he aborted the second round of air strikes, leaving the Cuban air force intact.
Rasenberger added, “If the operation had any chance of success, the CIA planners knew the most important thing was to get rid of Castro’s air fleet. They could not have a beachhead invasion if the ships could be sunk.”
“The moment that Kennedy canceled the second round of bombings on Castro’s air fleet, the operation was basically doomed, and everybody knew it,” he continued.
Bay of Pigs: A String of Mistakes
The United States’ plan was far from perfect, with many of its tactics going south. It was revealed that the CIA analysts didn’t detect the corals in the water. This led to significant delays in landing aircrafts.
In addition, the frogman accidentally signaled the red lights offshore. This alerted the Cuban armed forces. After being spotted, the combat divers open-fired, taking away any possibility of catching the enemy by surprise.
To make matters worse, Castro’s Air Force successfully sank two US ships loaded with essential items like medical supplies, food, and ammunition. The CIA also failed to locate a radio station by the coast and ended up broadcasting every detail to the opposition.
After sustaining so many losses, Kennedy didn’t send back up.
As a last resort, six Navy jets were deployed to give ground troops cover. Sadly, this turned out to be a disaster. They made mistakes in the time difference between Cuba and Nicaragua. Two B-26s arrived on-scene an hour before a US Navy aircraft carrier could give them cover. The two planes crashed, killing around four Americans.
As for the US government and CIA, they refused to admit their involvement, even after Castro gathered the remains of Captain Thomas Willard Ray, an American pilot. It wasn’t until 1979 that his body was returned to his family in the US. Even then, the CIA denied responsibility.
During the 1990s, declassified documents emerged about the Bay of Pigs invasion and established Ray’s connection to the agency.
The Aftermath
After the United States’ failure, the exiles remained prisoners for a year and eight months in Cuba. Castro’s relations continued to grow with the Soviet Union, bolstering Cuba’s military like never before. Meanwhile, the United States negotiated deals with Castro.
In 1962, an American spy plane found Soviet nuclear missiles being installed on the island, which shook the country. While getting rid of the missiles was important, it was critical that there would be no confrontations between the USSR and the US.
Weeks of negotiations between Nikita Khrushchev, Castro, and the US led to the removal of the nukes. However, the US had to promise never to invade Cuba again. In addition, the US had to supply baby food and medicine worth $53 million in exchange for the prisoners.
On December 23, 1962, the first batch of prisoners landed in the US. A week later, the rest of the brigade members were released.
The Fall of Cuba
After the US failed, Cuba declared itself an autonomous country. However, it didn’t get exactly what it hoped for. Castro’s proclivity for complete control and self-reliance proved to be the nation’s doom. While the country’s economy stagnated, the funds for communist rebellions continued, leaving the country with no room for growth. The final straw and ultimate disaster for Cuba was when the Soviet Union collapsed.
Cubans were close to experiencing a famine, causing thousands to flee the country and seek asylum in neighboring nations. The US arranged what they called “freedom flights,” allowing many hunger-stricken and desperate Cubans to find refuge between 1965 and 1974.
By 1980, thousands of Cubans had sought asylum in the South Americas. More than 120,000 people, including Castro’s daughter, fled through the port of Mariel. Still, Castro refused to budge and save the country. It wasn’t until the USSR’s fall that he allowed family businesses and foreign investments. Finally, in 2008, he stepped down, and his brother Raúl took over, bringing hope to Cuba.
Cuba After Fidel Castro
Raúl’s reign was somewhat better for Cuba. He allowed private enterprise and even leased land to private farmers, helping the country flourish. Raúl and the US reconciled and began to have better relations. Restrictions in travel and trade became more relaxed.
In 2018, Raúl appointed Cuba’s new president, Miguel Diaz-Canel. Unlike previous administrations, Diaz-Canel embraced technology and welcomed the press. However, many believe that Cuba’s communism and traditional approach are here to stay.
US Versus Cuba
The invasion of Bahía de Cochinos, or the Bay of Pigs, is undoubtedly one of the United States’ greatest failures. Castro’s budding relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba’s proximity to US borders were a concern, creating Brigade 2506, a group of exiles who would overthrow Castro. However, the plan was poorly executed.
Although Kennedy backed Eisenhower’s plan, it’s essential to remember that he was new to his office. The invasion not only kickstarted a complete revolution for the communist parties but also highlighted the Cuban leader’s hatred toward Western ideologies.
Richard Goodwin, an adviser and speechwriter for Kennedy, revealed that “Che” Guevara wanted to “Thank us [the United States] very much for the invasion—that it had been a great political victory for them—enabled them to consolidate—and transformed them from an aggrieved little country to an equal.”
Without the Soviet Union’s downfall, Cuba would have still closed its doors to the rest of the world. Today, thanks to Fidel Castro stepping down and Raúl’s takeover, Cuba has become more open to more capitalist principles like privatization, international trade, and tourism. For the most part, however, Cuba remains under communist rule.
