The Bay of Pigs invasion begins - Apr 17, 1961 - HISTORY.com Within the CIA, the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961 was regarded as the "perfect failure." Cold War The Bay of Pigs invasion begins Share this: The Bay of Pigs invasion begins Author The Bay of Pigs invasion begins URL Publisher A+E Networks The Bay of Pigs invasion begins when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The attack was an utter failure. Fidel Castro had been a concern to U.S. policymakers since he seized power in Cuba with a revolution in January 1959. Castro’s attacks on U.S. companies and interests in Cuba, his inflammatory anti-American rhetoric, and Cuba’s movement toward a closer relationship with the Soviet Union led U.S. officials to conclude that the Cuban leader was a threat to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere. In March 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the CIA to train and arm a force of Cuban exiles for an armed attack on Cuba. John F.

Kennedy inherited this program when he became president in 1961. Though many of his military advisors indicated that an amphibious assault on Cuba by a group of lightly armed exiles had little chance for success, Kennedy gave the go-ahead for the attack. On April 17, 1961, around 1,200 exiles, armed with American weapons and using American landing craft, waded ashore at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The hope was that the exile force would serve as a rallying point for the Cuban citizenry, who would rise up and overthrow Castro’s government. The plan immediately fell apart–the landing force met with unexpectedly rapid counterattacks from Castro’s military, the tiny Cuban air force sank most of the exiles’ supply ships, the United States refrained from providing necessary air support, and the expected uprising never happened. Over 100 of the attackers were killed, and more than 1,100 were captured. The failure at the Bay of Pigs cost the United States dearly. Castro used the attack by the “Yankee imperialists” to solidify his power in Cuba and he requested additional Soviet military aid.

Eventually that aid included missiles, and the construction of missile bases in Cuba sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, when the United States and the Soviet Union nearly came to blows over the issue. Further, throughout much of Latin America, the United States was pilloried for its use of armed force in trying to unseat Castro, a man who was considered a hero to many for his stance against U.S. interference and imperialism. Kennedy tried to redeem himself by publicly accepting blame for the attack and its subsequent failure, but the botched mission left the young president looking vulnerable and indecisive. Related Videos Cuba Fast Facts - CNN.com Cuba Fast Facts CNN Library Updated 6:17 PM ET, Thu December 1, 2016 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. JUST WATCHED Is Cuba ready for US tourism surge? 02:37 (CNN) Here's some background information about Cuba, a communist country located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 90 miles south of Florida.

About Cuba: Area: 110,860 sq km (slightly smaller than Pennsylvania) Population: 11,179,995 (July 2016 est.) Median age: 41.4 years Ethnic Groups: white 64.1%, mestizo 26.6%, black 9.3% (2012 est.) GDP (purchasing power parity): $128.5 billion (2014 est.) GDP per capita: $10,200 (2010 est.) Unemployment: 2.4% (2015 est., according to official figures. Unofficial estimate is double that number.) Other Facts: Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Cuba was receiving subsidies worth $4 billion-$6 billion a year. The United States pays Cuba approximately $4,085 a year to lease the 45 square miles that the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station occupies. Cuba has not accepted the payment since 1959.

More than 43,000 Cubans entered the United States at ports of entry in the 2015 fiscal year. Timeline: 1492 - Explorer Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Cuba and claims it for Spain. Spain controls the island until 1898, making it a hub for the slave trade and the export of sugar and coffee. 1898 - The US assists Cubans in winning independence from Spain during the Spanish-American War. The Treaty of Paris gives the US temporary control of Cuba. 1902 - Cuba gains independence from the United States. 1903 - The new Republic of Cuba leases 45 square miles of land in Guantánamo Bay to the US for construction of a naval station. Building on the naval station begins that same year. 1952 - Former President Fulgencio Batista stages a coup with the support of the army, and assumes power. July 26, 1953 - Fidel Castro and approximately 150 others attack the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Batista regime.

October 16, 1953 - Castro is sentenced to 15 years in prison. May 15, 1955 - Castro and his brother, Raul , are released as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners. December 2, 1956 - Eighty-two exiles land in Cuba, on a yacht named Granma. Most are killed immediately. The survivors, including the Castro's, flee to the Sierra Maestra Mountains. During 1957-1958, they wage a guerrilla campaign from this base, which includes skirmishes with government troops and burning sugar crops. January 1, 1959 - Batista is overthrown by Castro's forces. 1960 - Cuba nationalizes approximately $1 billion of US-owned property on the island. In response, the US places a trade embargo on Cuba. January 1961 - The US and Cuba end diplomatic relations. April 1961 - The US backs Cuban exiles in an unsuccessful attempt to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs . 1977 - The US Interests Section in Havana is opened .

April-September 1980 - Fidel Castro allows anyone who wants to leave Cuba to freely depart from the port of Mariel. Approximately 124,000 Cuban migrants enter the United States . October 1983 - US troops invade the Caribbean island of Grenada, after a group of military officers aligned with Cuba stage a coup. 1994 - The US and Cuba sign an agreement designed to halt the flow of illegal aliens from Cuba to the US. January 1998 - Pope John Paul II visits Cuba. September 1998 - Ten people are arrested in Florida and charged with spying for the Cuban government. The criminal complaint alleges the eight men and two women tried to infiltrate Cuban exile groups and US military installations. Five of the defendants are later identified as Cuban intelligence officers Ruben Campa (aka Fernando Gonzalez), Rene Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Luis Medina (aka Ramon Labanino) and Antonio Guerrero. 1999 - President Clinton eases travel restrictions to Cuba. November 1999 - Five-year-old Elian Gonzalez is found in the water between Cuba and Florida, the only survivor of a group attempting to reach the US by boat.

A long custody battle between Gonzalez' father in Cuba and relatives in Florida strains relations between Cuba and the US The standoff ends with US federal agents forcibly removing the boy from his great-uncle's home. Gonzalez and his father return to Cuba in June 2000. 2002 - Former US President Jimmy Carter visits Cuba, the first former or sitting president to visit since 1928 . August 2005 - The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturns the spying convictions of the Cuban Five. The ruling is reversed in August 2006. July 31, 2006 - A statement read on Cuban TV announces that Fidel Castro is undergoing intestinal surgery and has provisionally handed over power to his younger brother, Raul. February 19, 2008 - Due to ailing health, Fidel Castro announces his resignation as president in a letter published in the middle of the night in the online version of Cuba's state-run newspaper, Granma. February 24, 2008 - Raul Castro is chosen by Cuba's National Assembly to be the country's new president.

December 2009 - American Alan Gross is jailed while working as a subcontractor on a US Agency for International Development project aimed at spreading democracy. His actions are deemed illegal by Cuban authorities. He is accused of trying to set up illegal Internet connections on the island. Gross says he was trying to help connect the Jewish community to the Internet and was not a threat to the government. October 2011 - One of the Cuban Five, Rene Gonzalez, is released on probation after serving 13 years in prison. February 24, 2013 - Raul Castro is re-elected to a second five-year term. Later during a nationally televised speech, Castro announces that he will step down from power in 2018 when his term is over. February 2014 - Cuban Five member Ruben Campa (aka Fernando Gonzalez) is released from prison after serving more than 15 years. December 17, 2014 - Cuba releases American contractor Alan Gross as a "humanitarian" gesture after five years in prison.

As part of a deal between the United States and Cuba, the US releases three Cuban intelligence agents convicted of espionage in 2001; in return, Cuba frees an unidentified US intelligence source who has been jailed in Cuba for more than 20 years. December 17, 2014 - US President Barack Obama announces plans to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba and ease economic restrictions on the nation, a policy shift he called the end of an "outdated approach" to US-Cuban relations that, "for decades, has failed to advance our interests." Obama says the US will move toward re-opening its embassy in the communist nation and allow some travel and trade that had been banned under a decades-long embargo instated during the Kennedy administration. January 12, 2015 - Cuba has released a total of 53 political prisoners as part of its rapprochement deal with the United States, according to a US official. January 15, 2015 - The Obama Administration announces details of the softened travel regulations : Cuban Americans visiting family, US officials on government trips, journalists on assignment and regular citizens visiting for educational, cultural, or religious reasons will no longer need permission first.

Americans will also be able to use credit cards, a prior restriction. January 26, 2015 - Fidel Castro writes that although he " doesn't trust US policies and have not exchanged a word with them, this does not mean however that I would oppose a peaceful solution to conflicts or threats of war." April 11, 2015 - Ending a decades-long standstill in US-Cuba relations, President Raul Castro meets for an hour during the Summit of the Americas with his American counterpart, Barack Obama, the first time the two nations' top leaders have sat down for substantive talks in more than 50 years. April 14, 2015 - President Obama recommends that Cuba be removed from the US government's list of state sponsors of terrorism. May 29, 2015 - The United States officially removes Cuba from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism, setting the two nations up for a full renewal of diplomatic ties. July 1, 2015 - President Obama announces that the United States is restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba and that the American embassy in Havana will open during the late summer, with a visit from Secretary of State John Kerry .

July 20, 2015 - Cuba and the United States officially re-establish diplomatic relations after 54 years. August 14, 2015 - The US Embassy officially re-opens in Havana. December 17, 2015 - The US State Department announces that the US and Cuba have agreed to resume commercial air travel between the two countries for the first time in more than half a century. The Federal Aviation Administration must ensure certain safety regulations are in place before flights can actually resume, according to a State Department official. December 29, 2015 - Five Central American countries and Mexico reach an agreement that will help about 8,000 stranded Cuban immigrants make their way to the United States. Since the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba, and the loosened requirements for travel outside of Cuba, the number of individuals trying to migrate to the United States has spiked. January 12, 2016 - The first group of Cuban migrants leaves Costa Rica for El Salvador on their way to Mexico. Once in Mexico, the migrants are on their own to attempt passage to the United States.

February 18, 2016 - President Obama announces on Twitter that he will visit Cuba in March, becoming the first sitting US president to visit Cuba in 88 years. March 15, 2016 - The US Treasury Department announces a further loosening of restrictions, which includes allowing US travelers to engage in individual educational tours of Cuba. Effective on March 16, Cuba and the United States will resume postal service, nearly five decades after direct mail service was interrupted. March 20, 2016 - US President Barack Obama arrives in Cuba , beginning an intense and historic two-day visit to the island that includes meetings with Cuban President Raul Castro and anti-government dissidents. May 1, 2016 - For the first time in decades, a US cruise ship sets sail for Cuba as salsa music plays and protesters picket nearby. June 10, 2016 - The Department of Transportation approves American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines to offer flights between the United States and Cuba.

August 31, 2016 - The first direct US commercial flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Cuba touches down in Santa Clara. JetBlue Flight 387 is the first in over 50 years to carry passengers to the island since President Barack Obama's announcement to reengage with Cuba. November 30, 2016 - The ashes of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro are carried from the capital, Havana to Santiago, the birthplace of his revolution. It is the start of a journey that reverses the route Castro took across the island after seizing power in 1959. Photos: Central Havana street scenes Cuban author Pedro Juan Gutierrez has spent three decades watching -- and writing about -- the streets of what he calls Central Havana's "dirty" reality. Hide Caption What Happened in 1961 inc.

Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions How Much things cost in 1961 Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.07% Yearly Inflation Rate UK 2.9% Average Cost of new house $12,500.00 Average Income per year $5,315.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 27 cents Average Cost of a new car $2,850.00 Bacon for 1LB 67 cents Eggs per dozen 30 cents Below are some Prices for UK Pounds Sterling Average House Price 2,770 1961 1961 The cold war continued to worsen with the USSR exploding some very large bombs during testing and then masterminding the building of the Berlin Wall separating East from West Berlin, America sent a battle group to Germany and Americans and Russians Glared at each other across the border, due to this uncertainty many Americans built backyard fallout shelters in case of nuclear war. To make matters worse the Americans financed anti-Castro Cubans for an invasion at the bay of pigs which was an unmitigated disaster.

The Soviets put the first man in space on Yuri Gagarin followed by the US in May with Alan Shepard. Popular music included Chubby Checker's "Pony Time" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by the Shirelles, and top movies included "West Side Story" and "The Parent Trap." Space --- First Men In Space Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space. More Information and Timeline For The Early Space Race 1. 1957 October 4th The Soviet Union puts the worlds first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 into orbit around the earth 2. 1957 November 3rd The Soviet Union puts Sputnik 2 the worlds first spacecraft to carry a living animal, a dog named Laika into orbit around the earth. 3. 1958 January 31st The United States puts it's first satellite into space the Explorer 1 4. 1959 September 14th The Soviet Union launches first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon Luna 2 5.

1961 April 12th The Soviet Union launches the first spacecraft to take a man into space the Vostok 1 carrying Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin 6. 1961 May 5th The United States launches it's first man in space Alan Shepard on the Freedom 7 7. 1961 President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade If you look at the timeline for space travel up to this point the The Soviet Union was consistently one step ahead of the United States, but following the speech by President Kennedy on May 25th the United States was determined to be the first to put a man on the moon which they achieved on July 20th 1969 when Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr, who became the first human beings to walk on the Moon's surface. Cuba --- Bay of Pigs US Cuban Exiles and CIA mount unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro known as the Bay of Pigs More Information and Timeline For Bay of Pigs 1.

1959 Cuban Revolution ends with Fidel Castro holding power following the defeat of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista 2. 1959 - 1960 Cuba Declares It is a now a Communist country and Nationalizes Land and Businesses including U.S. assets totaling $1 billion 3. 1960 August 18th , US President Dwight D. Eisenhower approves funding for assault on Southern Cuba by anti Castro Cuban exiles backed by CIA 4. 1961 January 20th John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the United States 5. 1961 Fidel Castro declares Cuba bans free elections 6. 1961 April 17th to 19th A 1,500 CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles invade southern Cuba at the "Bay of Pigs" / Bah�a de Cochinos 7. 118 are killed and 1,202 are captured by Cuban forces 8.

1962 1,113 prisoners are released in exchange for US$53 million in food and medicine This has to be one of the worst planned and executed invasions in modern times poorly thought out, as a covert operation it was a bust with Cuban and Soviet Forces knowing almost to the day where and when the operation would occur. The USSR tests the "Tsar Bomba," the largest nuclear bomb ever. More Information for the Tsar Bomba 1. The Soviet Union conducts the largest ever nuclear bomb test despite worldwide objections during October of 1961. 2. The "Tsar Bomba" also known as the "Kuzkina mat" and "Big Ivan" was detonated over the Novaya Zemlya island in the Arctic. 3. The strength of the blast was equivalent to about 50 megatons (over 50 million tons of T.N.T.) and registered as a 5.0 on the Richter scale. 4. Light from the blast was seen over 600 miles away from the detonation site. 5.

The "Tsar Bomba" was the largest and most powerful man-made weapon ever created and just a few years after the test the United States, Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, banning all nuclear tests conducted anywhere but underground. Germany --- Berlin Wall East German Authorities close the border between east and west Berlin and Construction of the Berlin Wall begins. More Information and Timeline For Berlin Wall 1. 1957 December 11th East Germany introduce a new passport law reducing the overall number of refugees leaving Eastern Germany 2. 1961 20% of the entire East German population leave and defect for West Germany including a high percentage of engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers and skilled workers 3. Following the large defection of professionals from East Germany a decision to build a wall securing the border is confirmed by Soviet and East German leaders 4. 1961 August 13th German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) closes the border with West Germany and install barbed wire entanglements and fences 5. August 17th First concrete elements and large blocks being put in place to create the Berlin Wall 6.

1961-1975 Concrete wall 87 miles long built separating East and West Germany 7. Nine border crossing points between East and West Berlin including Checkpoint Charlie at the corner of Friedrichstrae and Zimmerstrae, which was restricted to Allied personnel and foreigners 8. 1989 The separation of East and West Germany ends as the Berlin Wall is taken down leading to eventual German reunification on October 3rd 1990 The Berlin Wall was a good example how society was effected by the Cold War which existed between the East and West following the end of World War II up to the nineties. United States --- Disney - Babes In Toyland Disney releases their first live action musical film, "Babes In Toyland." More Information for the film Babes in Toyland The film "Babes In Toyland" premieres during December of 1961. "Babes In Toyland" was created by Walt Disney and was the first live action musical to be produced by the company. The film, starred Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Ed Wynn, and Annette Funicello.

The Mother Goose themed musical focused on the evil character of Barnaby's plot to derail the upcoming marriage between characters Tom and Mary in an attempt to further his own romantic agenda. Despite heavy promotion the film was considered a flop for Disney but it did receive two Academy Award nominations for Best Costumes and Best Music. Soviet Union --- Venera 1 space probe The Soviet Union launches the Venera 1 space probe. More Information for Venera 1 The Soviet Union launches the Venera 1 space probe during February of 1961. The unmanned probe was the first spacecraft to fly by Venus. The Venera 1's mission returned some data back to Earth verifying the presence of plasma in space, but it was ultimately a failure as contact with the probe was lost within about a week of its launch. It did not transmit any data back about Venus when it passed by the planet. The Soviet Union launched a total of 16 Venera probes and many succeeded in providing detailed data and images of Venus.

Australia -- Prime Minister -- Sir Robert Menzies -- Brazil -- President -- Juscelino Kubitschek -- Till 31 January Brazil -- President -- Janio Quadros -- From 31 January Brazil -- President -- Janio Quadros -- Till 25 August Brazil -- President -- Ranieri Mazzilli -- From 25 August Brazil -- President -- Ranieri Mazzilli -- Till 7 September Brazil -- President -- Joao Goulart -- From 7 September Canada -- Prime Minister -- John Diefenbaker -- China -- Chairman of the People's Republic of China -- Liu Shaoqi -- France -- President -- Charles de Gaulle -- Germany -- Chancellor -- Konrad Adenauer -- India -- Prime Minister -- Jawahar Lal Nehru -- Italy -- Prime Minister -- Amintore Fanfani -- Japan -- Prime Minister -- Hayato Ikeda -- Mexico -- President -- Adolfo Lopez Mateos -- Russia / Soviet Union -- First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union -- Nikita Khrushchev -- South Africa -- Prime Minister -- Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd -- United States -- President -- Dwight D.

Eisenhower -- Till January 20, United States -- President -- John F. Kennedy -- From January 20, United Kingdom -- Prime Minister -- Harold Macmillan -- Cuba: The Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) Cuban Defenders during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images The Bay of Pigs Invasion In April of 1961 the United States government sponsored an attempt by Cuban exiles to assault Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro and the communist government he led. The exiles were well armed and trained in Central America by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The attack failed because of the selection of a poor landing site, inability to disable the Cuban Air Force and overestimation of the Cuban people’s willingness to support a strike against Castro. The diplomatic fallout from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion was considerable and led to an increase of cold war tensions. Background Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Fidel Castro had grown increasingly antagonistic towards the United States and their interests.

The Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations authorized the CIA to come up with ways to remove him: attempts were made to poison him, anticommunist groups inside Cuba were actively supported, and a radio station beamed slanted news at the island from Florida. continue reading below our video Overview of The Bay of Pigs The CIA even contacted the mafia about working together to assassinate Castro. Nothing worked. Meanwhile, thousands of Cubans were fleeing the island, legally at first, then clandestinely. These Cubans were mostly upper and middle class who had lost properties and investments when the communist government took over. Most of the exiles settled in Miami, where they seethed with hatred for Castro and his regime. It didn’t take the CIA long to decide to make use of these Cubans and give them the chance to overthrow Castro. Preparation When word spread in the Cuban exile community of an attempt to re-take the island, hundreds volunteered. Many of the volunteers were former professional soldiers under Batista, but the CIA took care to keep Batista cronies out of the top ranks, not wanting the movement to be associated with the old dictator.

The CIA also had its hands full keeping the exiles in line, as they had already formed several groups whose leaders often disagreed with one another. The recruits were sent to Guatemala, where they received training and weapons. The force was named the Brigade 2506, after the enlistment number of a soldier who was killed in training. In April, 1961, the 2506 Brigade was ready to go. They were moved to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, where they made their final preparations. They received a visit from Luís Somoza, dictator of Nicaragua, who laughingly asked them to bring him some hairs from Castro’s beard. They boarded different ships and set sail on April 13. Bombardment The US Air Force sent bombers to soften up Cuba’s defenses and take out the small Cuban Air Force. Eight B-26 Bombers left from Nicaragua on the night of April 14-15: they were painted to look like Cuban Air Force planes. The official story would be that Castro’s own pilots had rebelled against him. The bombers hit airfields and runways and did manage to destroy or damage several Cuban aircraft. Several people working at the airfields were killed.

The bombing raids did not destroy all of Cuba’s airplanes, however, as some had been hidden. The bombers then “defected” to Florida. Air strikes continued against Cuban airfields and ground forces. Assault On April 17, the 2506 Brigade (also called the “Cuban Expeditionary Force”) landed on Cuban soil. The brigade consisted of over 1,400 well-organized and armed soldiers. Rebel groups within Cuba had been notified of the date of the assault and small-scale attacks broke out all over Cuba, although these had little lasting effect. The landing site which had been selected was the “Bahía de los Cochinos” or “Bay of Pigs” on the southern coast of Cuba, about a third of the way from the westernmost point. It is a part of the island that is sparsely populated and far from major military installations: it was hoped that the attackers would gain a beachhead and set up defenses before running into major opposition. It was an unfortunate choice, as the area selected is swampy and difficult to cross: the exiles would eventually become bogged down. The forces landed with difficulty and quickly did away with the small local militia that resisted them.

Castro, in Havana, heard of the attack and ordered units to respond. There were still a few serviceable aircraft remaining to the Cubans, and Castro ordered them to attack the small fleet that had brought the invaders. At first light, the airplanes attacked, sinking one ship and driving off the rest. This was crucial, because although the men had been unloaded, the ships were still full of supplies including food, weapons and ammunition. Part of the plan had been to secure an airstrip near Playa Girón. 15 B-26 bombers were part of the invading force, and they were to land there to carry out attacks on military installations all over the island. Although the airstrip was captured, the lost supplies meant that it could not be put into use. The bombers could only operate for forty minutes or so before being forced to return to Central America to refuel. They were also easy targets for the Cuban Air force, as they had no fighter escorts. Prev Cuban Missile Crisis - Cold War - HISTORY.com Cuban Missile Crisis A+E Networks Introduction During the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders of the U.S.

and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. In a TV address on October 22, 1962, President John Kennedy (1917-63) notified Americans about the presence of the missiles, explained his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the U.S. was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize this perceived threat to national security. Following this news, many people feared the world was on the brink of nuclear war. However, disaster was avoided when the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s (1894-1971) offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. Google Discovering the Missiles After seizing power in the Caribbean island nation of Cuba in 1959, leftist revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1926-) aligned himself with the Soviet Union.

Under Castro, Cuba grew dependent on the Soviets for military and economic aid. During this time, the U.S. and the Soviets (and their respective allies) were engaged in the Cold War (1945-91), an ongoing series of largely political and economic clashes. Did You Know? The actor Kevin Costner (1955-) starred in a movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis titled "Thirteen Days." Released in 2000, the movie's tagline was "You'll never believe how close we came." The two superpowers plunged into one of their biggest Cold War confrontations after the pilot of an American U-2 spy plane making a high-altitude pass over Cuba on October 14, 1962, photographed a Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missile being assembled for installation. President Kennedy was briefed about the situation on October 16, and he immediately called together a group of advisors and officials known as the executive committee, or ExCom. For nearly the next two weeks, the president and his team wrestled with a diplomatic crisis of epic proportions, as did their counterparts in the Soviet Union. A New Threat to the U.S.

For the American officials, the urgency of the situation stemmed from the fact that the nuclear-armed Cuban missiles were being installed so close to the U.S. mainland–just 90 miles south of Florida . From that launch point, they were capable of quickly reaching targets in the eastern U.S. If allowed to become operational, the missiles would fundamentally alter the complexion of the nuclear rivalry between the U.S. and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which up to that point had been dominated by the Americans. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had gambled on sending the missiles to Cuba with the specific goal of increasing his nation’s nuclear strike capability. The Soviets had long felt uneasy about the number of nuclear weapons that were targeted at them from sites in Western Europe and Turkey, and they saw the deployment of missiles in Cuba as a way to level the playing field. Another key factor in the Soviet missile scheme was the hostile relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. The Kennedy administration had already launched one attack on the island–the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961–and Castro and Khrushchev saw the missiles as a means of deterring further U.S. aggression.

Weighing the Options From the outset of the crisis, Kennedy and ExCom determined that the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba was unacceptable. The challenge facing them was to orchestrate their removal without initiating a wider conflict–and possibly a nuclear war. In deliberations that stretched on for nearly a week, they came up with a variety of options, including a bombing attack on the missile sites and a full-scale invasion of Cuba. But Kennedy ultimately decided on a more measured approach. First, he would employ the U.S. Navy to establish a blockade, or quarantine, of the island to prevent the Soviets from delivering additional missiles and military equipment. Second, he would deliver an ultimatum that the existing missiles be removed. In a television broadcast on October 22, 1962, the president notified Americans about the presence of the missiles, explained his decision to enact the blockade and made it clear that the U.S. was prepared to use military force if necessary to neutralize this perceived threat to national security. Following this public declaration, people around the globe nervously waited for the Soviet response. Some Americans, fearing their country was on the brink of nuclear war, hoarded food and gas.

Showdown at Sea A crucial moment in the unfolding crisis arrived on October 24, when Soviet ships bound for Cuba neared the line of U.S. vessels enforcing the blockade. An attempt by the Soviets to breach the blockade would likely have sparked a military confrontation that could have quickly escalated to a nuclear exchange. But the Soviet ships stopped short of the blockade. Although the events at sea offered a positive sign that war could be averted, they did nothing to address the problem of the missiles already in Cuba. The tense standoff between the superpowers continued through the week, and on October 27, an American reconnaissance plane was shot down over Cuba, and a U.S. invasion force was readied in Florida. (The 35-year-old pilot of the downed plane, Major Rudolf Anderson, is considered the sole U.S. combat casualty of the Cuban missile crisis.) “I thought it was the last Saturday I would ever see,” recalled U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (1916-2009), as quoted by Martin Walker in “The Cold War.” A similar sense of doom was felt by other key players on both sides.

A Deal Ends the Standoff Despite the enormous tension, Soviet and American leaders found a way out of the impasse. During the crisis, the Americans and Soviets had exchanged letters and other communications, and on October 26, Khrushchev sent a message to Kennedy in which he offered to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for a promise by U.S. leaders not to invade Cuba. The following day, the Soviet leader sent a letter proposing that the USSR would dismantle its missiles in Cuba if the Americans removed their missile installations in Turkey. Officially, the Kennedy administration decided to accept the terms of the first message and ignore the second Khrushchev letter entirely. Privately, however, American officials also agreed to withdraw their nation’s missiles from Turkey. U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy (1925-68) personally delivered the message to the Soviet ambassador in Washington , and on October 28, the crisis drew to a close. Both the Americans and Soviets were sobered by the Cuban Missile Crisis. The following year, a direct “hot line” communication link was installed between Washington and Moscow to help defuse similar situations, and the superpowers signed two treaties related to nuclear weapons.

The Cold War was far from over, though. In fact, another legacy of the crisis was that it convinced the Soviets to increase their investment in an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. from Soviet territory. Tags The Bay of Pigs - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum The Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs On April 17, 1961, 1400 Cuban exiles launched what became a botched invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt that overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The US government distrusted Castro and was wary of his relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union. Before his inauguration, John F. Kennedy was briefed on a plan by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) developed during the Eisenhower administration to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of their homeland. The plan anticipated that the Cuban people and elements of the Cuban military would support the invasion. The ultimate goal was the overthrow of Castro and the establishment of a non-communist government friendly to the United States.

Training President Eisenhower approved the program in March 1960. The CIA set up training camps in Guatemala, and by November the operation had trained a small army for an assault landing and guerilla warfare. José Miró Cardona led the anti-Castro Cuban exiles in the United States. A former member of Castro's government, he was the head of the Cuban Revolutionary Council, an exile committee. Cardona was poised to take over the provisional presidency of Cuba if the invasion succeeded. Despite efforts of the government to keep the invasion plans covert, it became common knowledge among Cuban exiles in Miami. Through Cuban intelligence, Castro learned of the guerilla training camps in Guatemala as early as October 1960, and the press reported widely on events as they unfolded. Shortly after his inauguration, in February 1961, President Kennedy authorized the invasion plan. But he was determined to disguise U.S. support. The landing point at the Bay of Pigs was part of the deception. The site was a remote swampy area on the southern coast of Cuba, where a night landing might bring a force ashore against little resistance and help to hide any U.S. involvement.

Unfortunately, the landing site also left the invading force more than 80 miles from refuge in Cuba's Escambray Mountains, if anything went wrong. The Plan The original invasion plan called for two air strikes against Cuban air bases. A 1,400-man invasion force would disembark under cover of darkness and launch a surprise attack. Paratroopers dropped in advance of the invasion would disrupt transportation and repel Cuban forces. Simultaneously, a smaller force would land on the east coast of Cuba to create confusion. The main force would advance across the island to Matanzas and set up a defensive position. The United Revolutionary Front would send leaders from South Florida and establish a provisional government. The success of the plan depended on the Cuban population joining the invaders. The Invasion The first mishap occurred on April 15, 1961, when eight bombers left Nicaragua to bomb Cuban airfields. The CIA had used obsolete World War II B-26 bombers, and painted them to look like Cuban air force planes. The bombers missed many of their targets and left most of Castro's air force intact. As news broke of the attack, photos of the repainted U.S. planes became public and revealed American support for the invasion.

President Kennedy cancelled a second air strike. On April 17, the Cuban-exile invasion force, known as Brigade 2506, landed at beaches along the Bay of Pigs and immediately came under heavy fire. Cuban planes strafed the invaders, sank two escort ships, and destroyed half of the exile's air support. Bad weather hampered the ground force, which had to work with soggy equipment and insufficient ammunition. The Counterattack Over the next 24 hours, Castro ordered roughly 20,000 troops to advance toward the beach, and the Cuban air force continued to control the skies. As the situation grew increasingly grim, President Kennedy authorized an "air-umbrella" at dawn on April 19—six unmarked American fighter planes took off to help defend the brigade's B-26 aircraft flying. But the B-26s arrived an hour late, most likely confused by the change in time zones between Nicaragua and Cuba. They were shot down by the Cubans, and the invasion was crushed later that day. Some exiles escaped to the sea, while the rest were killed or rounded up and imprisoned by Castro's forces.

Almost 1,200 members of Brigade 2056 surrendered, and more than 100 were killed. The Aftermath The brigade prisoners remained in captivity for 20 months, as the United States negotiated a deal with Fidel Castro. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy made personal pleas for contributions from pharmaceutical companies and baby food manufacturers, and Castro eventually settled on $53 million worth of baby food and medicine in exchange for the prisoners. On December 23, 1962, just two months after the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a plane containing the first group of freed prisoners landed in the United States. A week later, on Saturday, December 29, surviving brigade members gathered for a ceremony in Miami's Orange Bowl, where the brigade's flag was handed over to President Kennedy. "I can assure you," the president promised, "that this flag will be returned to this brigade in a free Havana." The disaster at the Bay of Pigs had a lasting impact on the Kennedy administration. Determined to make up for the failed invasion, the administration initiated Operation Mongoose—a plan to sabotage and destabilize the Cuban government and economy. The plan included the possibility of assassinating Castro.

More than 50 years later, relations between Castro's Cuba and the United States remain strained and tenuous. Letter from President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev. April 18, 1961 1000+ images about Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs and Fidel Castro on Pinterest | Cuba, United states and Fidel castro Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs and Fidel Castro After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 and due to the presence of US missiles in Italy and Turkey, Nikita Khrushchev agreed to Fidel Castro’s request to place nuclear missiles in Cuba.

After a period of tense negotiations over 13 days in October 1962, with a military blockade and the threat of a nuclear war, an agreement was reached between President Kennedy and Khrushchev to dismantle missiles at both sites and declare that the US would never invade Cuba without direct provocation 105 Pins30.9k Followers Bay of Pigs Invasion Blog Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs invasion was intended to provoke popularity for an uprising against Fidel Castro , who had overthrown American-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista . Instead, it gave Castro a military victory and a permanent symbol of Cuban resistance to American aggression. The Bay of Pigs was not originally John F. Kennedy 's idea. As the communist nature of Fidel Castro 's regime became apparent, the urge to topple his government grew. Dwight D. Eisenhower 's administration planned the invasion, which would be handled by the CIA . By the time of Kennedy's inauguration, the order to invade was the only remaining piece of the plan to put into place. Planning for the invasion began in 1960, before diplomatic ties with Cuba had been broken.

The situation was delicate, since the plan was to overthrow a government with which the United States was not at war. Various aspects, including propaganda and military strategies, were included in the plan, along with the directive that the U.S. should not appear to be involved. During the presidential campaign, Kennedy had accused Eisenhower of not doing enough about Castro. In fact, Eisenhower might have launched an invasion himself, had a proper excuse presented itself. Instead, he bequeathed an advanced plan to Kennedy, who was strongly inclined to pursue it. Others in the government were not convinced. The Cubans had presented evidence to the United Nations as early as October that the United States was hiring and training mercenaries. American involvement was not likely to remain much of a secret. Senator J. William Fulbright told Kennedy that this sort of hypocrisy was just the sort of thing of which the United States accused the Soviets. Under Secretary of State Chester Bowles advised Secretary of State Dean Rusk that the plan was wrong on both moral and legal grounds. Those in favor of the plan also included former Vice President Richard Nixon, John's brother Robert F. Kennedy , and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara .

On April 12, 1961, Kennedy told a press conference that the United States unequivocally had no intention of intervening in Cuban affairs. Five days later, the invasion took place. The invasion force had been assembled in Guatemala. It departed in six ships from a port in Nicaragua on April 14. On April 15, the American-backed Cuban exiles began to bomb airfields near two points in the Bay of Pigs and the Zapata swamps in Cuba. In a clumsy effort to make the attacks appear to have been made by defectors, the attacking B-26 airplanes were disguised to look like Cuban aircraft. An actual defector named Mario Zï¿½ï¿½iga was presented to the press along with his airplane, but so many important details were missing and the press had uncovered so much of the truth, that the cover-up effort had little success. Within the first few hours of the operation, it began to appear that the invasion would fail because it had not garnered the support from locals on which they were counting. Much to the CIAï¿½s surprise, locals firmly supported Castro and the Revolution. Adlai E.

Stevenson , the American ambassador to the U.N., flatly denied the Cuban ambassador's charges about the attack and showed the official photographs to support the defectorï¿½s story. Unfortunately, the truth came out within a few hours and Stevenson was humiliated. He also learned that Kennedy had referred to him as ï¿½my official liar." The attack began shortly after midnight on April 16. Coral reefs, misidentified by U-2 spy planes as seaweed, held up landings. Two ships were stranded 80 yards from shore and some heavy equipment was lost. With the invasion plainly underway, Rusk announced on Monday, April 17, that the U.S. would not intervene in Cuba nor would it in the future. Because world opinion was against the U.S., Kennedy decided not to provide further air cover until it could be launched from a landing strip somewhere in Cuba. This never happened, and Cuban forces had complete control of the air. A final desperate attempt at air support resulted in the loss of four American airmen on April 19, but the outcome was already sealed. The invaders surrendered on the afternoon of April 19.

More than 200 people been killed; another 1,197 were taken captive. On April 20, Kennedy told the American Society of Newspaper Editors that the episode was Cubans fighting Cubans and that the U.S. had not been involved. A few months later, the three responsible for planning the invasion ï¿½ Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Allen Dulles , Deputy Director of Operations Richard Bissell, and Air Force General Charles Cabell ï¿½ were fired. Mass trials of the captured men were held and nearly all were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. After 20 months of negotiations, they were released in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine. The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion set the stage for further aggressions against Castro from his northern aggressor. President Kennedy made little effort to conceal his continued desire to see Castro deposed. Castroï¿½s insecurity about the future of his rule over Cuba led to the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles there, prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. - - - Books You May Like Include: ----

Question: In 1961, where did a CIA-sponsored group make an unsuccessful attempt to invade Cuba?
Answer: Bay of Pigs