Claim: John F. Kennedy was the president of the United States of America.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion -LRB- Spanish : Invasión de Playa Girón or Invasión de Bahía de Cochinos or Batalla de Girón -RRB- was a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the CIA-sponsored paramilitary group Brigade 2506 on 17 April 1961 . A counter-revolutionary military -LRB- made up of Cuban exiles who traveled to the United States after Castro 's takeover -RRB- , trained and funded by the United States government 's Central Intelligence Agency -LRB- CIA -RRB- , Brigade 2506 fronted the armed wing of the Democratic Revolutionary Front -LRB- DRF -RRB- and intended to overthrow the increasingly communist government of Fidel Castro . Launched from Guatemala and Nicaragua , the invading force was defeated within three days by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces , under the direct command of Prime Minister Fidel Castro .   The Presidential coup of 1952 led by General Fulgencio Batista , against President Carlos Prio , an ally of the United States , forced President Carlos Prio into exile to Miami , Florida . President Prio 's exile was the reason for the 26th July Movement led by Fidel Castro . The movement , which did not succeed until after the Cuban Revolution of 31 December 1958 , severed the country 's formerly strong links with the US after nationalizing American economic assets -LRB- banks , oil refineries , sugar and coffee plantations , along with other American owned businesses -RRB- .   It was after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 , that Fidel Castro forged strong economic links with the Soviet Union , with whom , at the time , the United States was engaged in the Cold War . US President Dwight D. Eisenhower was very concerned at the direction Castro 's government was taking , and in March 1960 , he allocated $ 13.1 million to the CIA to plan Castro 's overthrow -LRB- though the plan to overthrow Castro was put off for Kennedy to decide -RRB- . The CIA proceeded to organize the operation with the aid of various Cuban counter-revolutionary forces , training Brigade 2506 in Guatemala . Eisenhower 's successor John F. Kennedy approved the final invasion plan on 4 April 1961 .   Over 1,400 paramilitaries , divided into five infantry battalions and one paratrooper battalion , assembled in Guatemala before setting out for Cuba by boat on 13 April 1961 . Two days later , on 15 April , eight CIA-supplied B-26 bombers attacked Cuban airfields and then returned to the US . On the night of 16 April , the main invasion landed at a beach named Playa Girón in the Bay of Pigs . It initially overwhelmed a local revolutionary militia . The Cuban Army 's counter-offensive was led by José Ramón Fernández , before Castro decided to take personal control of the operation . As the US involvement became apparent to the world , Kennedy decided against providing further air cover for the invasion . As a result , the operation only had half the forces the CIA had deemed necessary . The original plan devised during Eisenhower 's presidency had required both air and naval support . On 20 April , the invaders surrendered after only three days , with the majority being publicly interrogated and put into Cuban prisons .   The failed invasion helped to strengthen the position of Castro 's leadership , made him a national hero , and cemented the rocky relationship between the former allies . It also strengthened the relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union . This eventually led to the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 . The invasion was a major failure for US foreign policy ; Kennedy ordered a number of internal investigations across Latin America . Cuban forces under Castro 's leadership clashed directly with US forces during the Invasion of Grenada over 20 years later .