April 17, 1961: A group of Cuban exiles, trained by the United States, land in Cuba to stage a coup in the Bay of Pigs Invasion



On December 31, 1958, Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro ousted the pro-American Batista government. When Castro gained control of the country, he undertook a campaign of rooting out his political opponents. He arrested and jailed countless Batista supporters, many of which fled to the nearby United States, Central and South America. The United States watched in horror as Cuba, a country only ninety miles from Florida, fell to Communism.

Cuban-American relations unraveled throughout the 1950’s and 60’s. Originally, the United States supported General Batista’s overthrow of the previous Cuban government. The Batista regime fostered American economic opportunities of the island, as they turned a blind eye to the regime’s repressive policies. When Castro took over the country, he was not as favorable to the United States’ policies.

During the Eisenhower administration, the Central Intelligence Agency hatch plan to stop the spread of Communism in the Southern Hemisphere. They began to train Cuban expats for an eventual invasion of the country. In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected President. A couple days into the new President’s administration, the C.I.A. briefed him on the plan. He gave them the green light. On April 17, 1961, Cuban exiles landed in the Bay of Pigs in Cuba to stage the coup. However, Castro had got wind of the plot. Over the next several days, the coup was violently put down.

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