Meanwhile, plucky little Cuba sits just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, defiantly maintaining its communist stance. It’s akin to the Rebel Alliance establishing a base right next to the Death Star, with Darth Vader unable to do much about it.
It wasn’t for lack of trying, though. The U.S. government, through the CIA, made numerous attempts to overthrow communism in Cuba and assassinate Fidel Castro, but these efforts often ended in failure and embarrassment. The most cringe-worthy moment of all? The Bay of Pigs invasion.
The Background
In 1952, the U.S.-backed dictator General Batista seized power in Cuba, instituting a corrupt, violent, and repressive regime with connections to the American Mafia. In response, Fidel Castro and a small group of revolutionaries fought back, ultimately overthrowing Batista in January 1959. Castro quickly expelled American businesses exploiting the country and nationalized all industries.
The U.S. responded by imposing a trade embargo on the island. In turn, Castro aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union, severing diplomatic ties with the United States.
Cuban exiles who fled during the revolution formed a military unit known as Brigade 2506 and partnered with the CIA, receiving training, funding, and personnel. The plan was for these invaders to sneak ashore, establish a defensible base, take over an airport, and fly in a new government that would request U.S. military support. The U.S. hoped no one would suspect their involvement.
On April 17, 1961, 1,400 paramilitaries were set to reclaim Cuba for capitalism. However, things went wrong from the start.
The Disaster Unfolds
Reconnaissance had misidentified certain beaches as suitable landing spots; what the CIA thought was seaweed turned out to be razor-sharp coral, damaging boats and engines. The invaders arrived at what they thought was a secluded beach, only to find it lit by floodlights, forcing them to relocate to Playa Girón.
Their use of flares alerted Cuban soldiers, who quickly radioed for backup. Castro himself took command of the defense, leading his troops into battle. Meanwhile, the invading ships were attacked, resulting in the destruction of weapons, ammunition, equipment, and medical supplies. Radios used by the invaders got wet and failed, and a parachuted airdrop of supplies landed in a swamp and was lost.
The invaders’ last hope was air support from President John F. Kennedy, but he, wanting to keep U.S. involvement secret and seeing the operation’s failure, decided against it.
For two days, the surviving invaders defended their positions but were ultimately pushed back to the beaches by Cuban artillery, tanks, and soldiers.
1,202 members of Brigade 2506 were captured, with most tried for treason and sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, in December 1962, 1,113 of them were exchanged for $53 million in food and medical supplies and flown to Miami.
For Cuba, repelling the invasion was a major victory, boosting morale and solidifying their alignment with the Soviet Union. Che Guevara even sent a note to Kennedy, gloating, “Thanks for Playa Girón. Before the invasion, the revolution was weak. Now it’s stronger than ever!”
The U.S. and the Kennedy administration were humiliated. Kennedy was deeply depressed and blamed the CIA, stating he wanted “to splinter the CIA in a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.” Unfortunately, he never acted on that impulse.
And as for the pigs? They were largely unaffected by these historic events.
All of this led directly to the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, but that is a story for another day.
