Unfinished Business: Kennedy and Cuba

In 1960, concerned that Cuba not become a Soviet stronghold, the U.S. secretly began orchestrating an invasion by expatriates. The plan called for an invasion of Cuba by 1,500 men, many of whom were recruited from Cuban exiles living in Miami. This operation had been authorized in March 1960 by President Eisenhower. The CIA was already training combat troops in Guatemala when Kennedy was elected president. Within months, this small brigade would go head-to-head with Castro's army.

After President John F. Kennedy took office, he would not commit the U.S. military to the effort. The invasion plan seemed risky without U.S. air cover, yet key CIA advisers Allen Dulles and Richard Bissell gambled that the president would reconsider once fighting began. Meanwhile, the invading brigade members believed that they would be fighting with the support of U.S. forces.

On Monday morning, April 17, 1961, the exile band, which had named itself the 2506 Brigade, landed on the beach at the Bay of Pigs on the south side of the island. But Castro was waiting with his army. The 2506 Brigade was outnumbered and outgunned. The freighter ships containing the reserve ammunition and communication equipment for the invasion were sunk less than an hour into the battle. By noon the next day, soldiers on the battlefield reported desperate conditions. For members of the 2506 Brigade, what began as frustration with the lack of support quickly became a deep sense of betrayal and doom. They fought bravely, but 114 died and more than 1,100 were taken captive and put in Cuban prisons.

According to brigade veterans, the fighters engaged in combat believing that they would have the support of the U.S. military. When none came, they were incredulous. They also expected reinforcements from Cuban rebels. But Castro, anticipating a revolt, had ordered any potential rebels arrested to avoid an insurrection. Also, CIA predictions underestimated the loyalty many Cubans felt toward Castro. In contrast to former leader Fulgencio Batista, Castro had implemented several improvements to Cuban life and many people supported him and declined to rebel. Since early 1961 he had built schools and clinics throughout the island—dramatically improving public health and combating illiteracy.

Kennedy also felt betrayed by the CIA's inaccurate and inadequate information about Castro's forces—and the assumption that he could be trapped into using military power. He could not risk a Soviet response to the Bay of Pigs invasion, so he focused on the political repercussions. Ultimately, Kennedy accepted responsibility for the incident but, crucially, he refused to guarantee that the U.S. would not try to overthrow Castro again.