LAURA ARI ZA MARGUERI TE DE SCORRAILLE

AI DAN KAPLAN JONATHAN REGI NELLA

The Bay of Pigs

Historical Background

US involved in Cuban affairs since the Spanish American War

Platt Amendment 1902Cuba 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 GuevaraDecember 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

executionThe 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 revolutionCastro more wary of the U.S. and more

receptive to Soviet reinforcementCastro accepted Soviet missiles being placed

on CubaThis 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.