Female: In the early, 60’s the most pressing cold war location for the United States was about 90 miles off the Coast of Florida. For it was in Cuba that the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro had taken par in 1959 causing the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower to begin plotting his overthrow. It all began with the CIA’s recommendation that Cuban exiles in the US be trained and equipped to take military action against Castro and his government. It is rumored that future President Richard Nixon was one of the chief instigators of the plan. Accordingly, anti-Castro forces were recruited and trained by the CIA in Guatemala in preparation for an invasion. The defects in the plot became apparent even before the attack of Galahad with the Cubans learning of the plans taking away the element of surprise.
On mainland Cuba, more than 100,000 nationals suspected of being security threats were rounded up and imprisoned or executed. Then the new US President John F. Kennedy changed the proposed landing site from the city of Trinidad to the Bay of Peaks. This was done extensively to avoid charges that the invasion was US-backed. It is widely considered though that the invasion, which began on the 15th of April 1960 and was all over four days later faltered in the air. Initial plans have been to take out the Cuban Air Force in several air strikes but after one strike, Kennedy cancelled the others again to make the attack Cuban and gave the US plausible deniability.
But without superiority in the air and not receiving the expected support on the ground from anti-Castro locals, the invasion failed. Cuban losses were great although the exact numbers are strongly disputed. 115 members of exile forces were killed with around 1200 captured. The captured exiles were put on trial with some being executed and other sentenced to 30 years for treason, but a year and a half later all were released in exchange for $53 million worth of food and medicine from the US. The whole affair was a tremendous political embarrassment for the Americans and paved way for the Chile nuclear standoff, the Cuban missile crisis a year later.
John F. Kennedy: If the nations of this hemisphere should fail to meet their commitment against outside communist penetration then I want it clearly understood that this government will not hesitate in meeting its primary obligation which alter the security of our nation.
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