The Bay Of Pigs Invasion Gone Wrong

The Bay Of Pigs Invasion Gone Wrong Essay, Research Paper In 1959, Fidel Castro, a leader of an underground antigovernment group, successfully led a rebellion against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista to become the Premier of Cuba. He then triggered a series of events which were considered hostile by the United States. In 1960 Castro took over American oil refinery, sugar mills, and electric utilities. Moreover, in the early 1960’s he began to welcome communism and formed close ties with the USSR. Such events led the United States to take measures. After these events took place, the US and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) started planning an invasion near Guant namo Bay, a US naval base in Cuba, in the Bay of Pigs which is in southern Cuba. The CIA set up a small

sub-organization with the sole purpose of planning and undertaking the invasion. Despite the intelligence planning, the counterintelligence planning, and military planning the mission still failed. There were many problems with the CIA’s plans which were not properly deliberated before the invasion. The Bay of Pigs Invasion and the CIA foul-ups during this incident were the recipe for many US foreign relation problems and periods of hostility with the USSR. On April 18, 1961, two messages were sent. One of these messages were from Russian Premier Khrushcev to President Kennedy, the other was President Kennedy’s response. Both of these messages were about the attempted Bay of Pigs Invasion and each party’s view on the incident. On April 19, 1961, not long after these

messages were released, they were published in an article in the New York Times, “The Exchange of Messages.” “Mr. President, I address this message to you at an hour of anxiety fraught with danger to world peace. An armed aggression has begun against Cuba,” began Khruschev’s letter. When he wrote this letter, he was aware of the fact that the Cuban exiles who were involved in the attack against Cuba were trained in the United States. Khruschev also wrote that he knew that the United States owned the planes and bombers that were used to bomb Cuba during the attack.Khrushcev was quick to defend Castro during this incident, being that Cuban/Soviet relations were really good. “As to the Soviet Union, there should be no misunderstanding of our position: we shall render the

Cuban people and their Government all necessary assistance in beating back the armed attack on Cuba,” was Khrushcev’s statement to President Kennedy. Khrushcev continues by stating, “How are we to understand what is really being done by the United States now that the attack on Cuba has become a fact?” Being that President Kennedy guaranteed that the Bay of Pigs Invasion would not occur, the Russian Premier was very upset about the incident. Moreover, such anger could have had vital effects on the United States/Soviet relations and on world relations for that matter. He continued by stating, “I earnestly appeal to you, Mr. President, to call a halt to the aggression against the Republic of Cuba. The military techniques and the world political situation are now such that

any so-called ’small war’ can produce a chain reaction in all parts of the world.” (NYT 4/19/61) Although the Russian Premier attempted to appeal to the President and maintain good US/Soviet relations, he wanted to point out that the USSR was ready to answer back with force if such attacks continued. Khrushcev wrote, “We are sincerely interested, in a relaxation of international tension, but if others aggravate it, we shall reply in full measure. And, in general, it is hardly possible to handle matters in such a way as to settle the situation and distinguish the conflagration in one area and kindle a new conflagration in another.” Being that this invasion surely caused enough commotion for the Soviet Union to take certain measures, Khrushcev continues his letter by