The Bay of Pigs
LAURA ARIZA
MARGUERITE DE SCORRAILLE
AIDAN KAPLAN
JONATHAN REGINELLA
Historical Background
 US involved in Cuban
affairs since the Spanish
American War
 Platt Amendment 1902
 Cuba in the 1940s and
1950s
Historical Background
 1934

Batista overthrew Ramon
Grau San Martin
 Batista was a corrupt and
repressive dictator
 Foundations for the
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro
 Son of a wealthy farmer
 Attended the famous
Jesuit school of Belen in
Havana
 1945

Enrolled in the University
of Havana
 1947

Participated in expedition
to overthrow Rafael
Trujillo
The Cuban Revolution
 26th of July Movement
 Attempt to overthrow Batista
 Organized in Mexico by Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, and Che
Guevara
 December 1956 to January 1959
 Guerilla war in Cuba
Post- Revolution Cuba
 Castro increases repression against opponents
 “The War Against the Bandits” (1959-1965)
 Six-year rebellion
Tensions with the United States
 “Until Castro, the U.S. was so overwhelmingly
influential in Cuba that the American ambassador
was the second most important man, sometimes
even more important than the Cuban president.”
(Earl T. Smith, former American Ambassador to
Cuba, during 1960 testimony to the U.S. Senate)
 Castro took steps to reduce American influence on
the island
 Castro expropriated American refineries and
nationalized them
Tensions with the United States
 In retaliation, the U.S. cancelled its imports of Cuban
sugar, provoking Castro to nationalize most U.S.owned assets on the island
 To prevent the Cuban economy from collapsing, the
USSR agreed to buy the sugar
The Plan to Invade
 Eisenhower administration concerned with direction
of Cuban government under Castro

Kennedy elected, informed, and approved of plan
 CIA given funds to recruit and train Cuban exiles in
Miami

Many recruits were former professional soldiers
 Once trained and supplied, the small force was sent
to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua
The Invasion
 April 15, 1961 – Group of exiles flew out in B-26
bombers to destroy the Cuban air force
 April 17, 1961 – 2506 Brigade began the land assault
in the Bay of Pigs

A much smaller rebel force landed on east coast to confuse
Cuban military
 Only small, local Cuban militia is able to counter the
invasion

Militia leaders notified the distracted Castro of the invasion
The Resistance
 Castro orders remaining Cuban aircrafts to attack
the small fleet behind the invaders

Stocked with supplies: food, weapons, ammunition
 Without supplies, captured airstrips were useless to
rebels
 Castro arrives himself and takes command

With supplies and far greater numbers of soldiers, the Cubans
push back the rebel force
The Failures of the Attack
 Repainted, WWII B-26 bombers sent to bomb Cuban
airfields

Missed targets and failed to destroy entire air force
 The 2506 Brigade that landed in the Bay of Pigs
became pinned down immediately
 Cuban government knew of the incoming invasion
 The attack proved to be extremely unorganized and
very ill planned
Surrender and Negotiated Release
 On April 19th, 1,200 of the 1,400 invaders
surrendered to Castro’s forces
 Mass trials were held for the captured men

All were sentenced to either 30 years in prison or execution
 The U.S. negotiated their release for $53 million
worth of food and medicine
Global Effects
 Castro’s position across Latin America and Soviet




standing in the Third World strengthened
Increased Cuban dedication to the revolution
Castro more wary of the U.S. and more receptive to
Soviet reinforcement
Castro accepted Soviet missiles being placed on Cuba
This escalated the Cold War and paved the way for
the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
Bay of Pigs Invasion: Legacy
 Severely tarnished the United States’ reputation
across the world
 Led to a spread of communism across Latin America
 Kennedy’s inspiring rhetoric was seen was a cover for
U.S. imperialism
Questions
 To what extent do you think the US intervention in
Cuba was justified? Was it a fair intervention?
 How did the Bay of Pigs help Fidel Castro keep
control of Cuba?
 Do you believe the US continues to feel threatened
by Cuba today?
Sources

http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/chron.html

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1765.html

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Bay-of-Pigs.aspx

http://www.history.com/topics/bay-of-pigs-invasion

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/bay-of-pigs/failure.pdf

http://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/CubanMissile

http://www.biography.com/people/fidel-castro-9241487
Castañeda, Jorge C. Compañero: the Life and Death of Che Guevara . New York: Vintage Books,
1997.

Coltman, Leycester. The Real Fidel Castro. New Haven and London: the Yale University Press,
2003.
