Bay of Pigs Invasion

1. Bay of Pigs Invasion Presented by: Alex Rigney

2. Questions That Will Be Answered • What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion? • Who were the major players before, during, and after the invasion? • Who created this plan and why? • Why was it a failure? • What further implications did the invasion have?

3. The Invasion Plans • The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an operation carried out by CIA-trained Cuban Exiles; their objective was to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba by landing at the Bay of Pigs and causing an uprising of the Cuban people • After they succeeded defeating Fidel Castro, the United States would install a pro-U.S. government in Cuba; Castro’s government was a Socialist regime which aligned them with the United States’ enemy in the Cold War, the U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union. • http://www.tubechop.com/watch/219613

4. April 17, 1961 • Twelve hundred Cuban exiles land at the Bay of Pigs on the morning of April 17 • The rebels are immediately confronted by Fidel Castro’s army; his army outnumbers the exiles by the thousands • After taking heavy casualties, the exiles surrender and are taken prisoner by the Castro regime

5. The Major Players in the Invasion 1 President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower President John F. Kennedy CIA Director Allen Dulles Cuban Premier Fidel Castro 2 3 4

6. Ike & JFK • U.S. President 1953-1961 • Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII and later NATO • Republican • Favored covert operations by the CIA to win the Cold War • U.S. President 1961-1963 • Democrat • Favored massive military buildup to combat Cold War; eventually sought to end Cold War peacefully with U.S.S.R. • Assassinated in 1963 *Eisenhower informs Kennedy, while he is the President-elect, that the Bay of Pigs Invasion is being prepared to be executed when he enters office in 1961

7. Allen DullesCIA Director 1953-1961 Orchestrated various coups around the world including Iran, Guatemala, and Chile He often carried out operations without President Kennedy’s approval Considered one of the crucial foundations for the modern United States intelligence community He is eventually forced to resign by Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs Invasion He later serves on the Warren Commission which investigates the assassination of JFK

8. Fidel CastroCuban Premier 1959-2008 Led a revolution in 1958 that ousted pro-United States dictator FulgencioBaptista Installed a Socialist government in Cuba 90 miles from the United States; this made Cuba an immediate security threat to the United States He successfully defeats the Cuban Exiles at the Bay of Pigs, but he continues to fear an imminent U.S. invasion of Cuba Eventually he builds a secret communication with Kennedy before he is assassinated; the two sides were preparing to restore a friendship between the two nations

9. The CIA’s Real Intentions • Allen Dulles directs his Central Intelligence Agency to create a plan that will oust Fidel Castro from power and reinstall a pro-U.S. leader • Dulles and his assistant director, Richard Bissell, attempt to convince President Kennedy to approve the plan; JFK has his reservations about the plan • Kennedy does not want the invasion to be traced back to the United States if it fails; he is guaranteed by the CIA it will succeed • http://www.tubechop.com/watch/219630

10. The CIA’s Real Intentions (cont’d) • CIA Director Dulles convinced President Kennedy to approve the plan even though he knows the exiles cannot defeat Fidel Castro’s forces without U.S. direct involvement • And this is his plan: when the exiles have difficulty defeating Castro and causing a Cuban uprising, the United States will provide air support and eventually invade the island and conquer it • All of President Kennedy’s advisors and Joint Chiefs of Staff favor an invasion of Cuba before and after the Bay of Pigs so that Communism will be removed from that country Dulles does not anticipate JFK’s stubbornness

11. President Kennedy’s Refusal • Despite reports from the Cuban exiles that they are being defeated by Fidel Castro, President Kennedy refuses to send in the air force to reinforce the exiles • JFK shocks his advisors by allowing Communism to “triumph” in the incident • This displays Kennedy’s astonishing resiliency against his closest advisors

12. A Reassuring Statement • President Kennedy exposes himself to the media to explain the Cuba situation: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thsVoWNbmPU&feature=related • Despite the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the United States will continue to make the security of the nation their top priority

13. Taking the Blame • Kennedy issues a statement implicating himself for the failure at the Bay of Pigs • A week after the invasion, JFK’s approval rating actually rises to 83%; it helped him gain a rapport with the American people • Secretly, he believes that the CIA truly did not inform him on the plans for the invasion of the Bay of Pigs Statement released by the White House following the failure at the Bay of Pigs: “President Kennedy has stated from the beginning that as president he bears sole responsibility for the events of the past few days. He has stated it on all occasions and he restated it now so that it will be understood by all.”

14. CIA Resignations • Director Allen Dulles, Deputy Director of Plans Richard Bissell, and Deputy Director Charles Cabell are forced to resign due to the failure • JFK loses confidence in the CIA for the remainder of his Presidency • He is famous for declaring that he wanted “to splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.”

15. Further Implications from the Bay of Pigs Invasions • John F. Kennedy includes his brother Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, in every decision making process from this point forward due to a distrust with his advisors • President Kennedy does weaken the CIA following the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion by slashing their budget and installing a director he believes will be more accountable • Kennedy does authorize an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro; it’s called Operation Mongoose • Contrary to Operation Mongoose, JFK almost reaches a secret friendship with Castro before he is assassinated • The firing of Allen Dulles from the CIA could be a catalyst for JFK assassination in 1963; there are conspiracy theories that implicate the CIA and their former director in the murder of John F. Kennedy

16. Bibliography Dallek, R. (2003). An unfinished life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. Douglass, J. W. (2008). JFK and the unspeakable: Why he died and why it matters. Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books. Golway, T. (2010). JFK day by day : a chronicle of the 1,036 days of John F. Kennedy's presidency. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press Norton, M. B., & Norton, M. B. (2012). A people & a nation: A history of the United States. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.