CUBAN EXILE BRIGADE COMES UNDER HEAVY FIRE AT BAY OF PIGS
Bahia de Conchinos, Cuba (JFK+50) On the morning of April 17, 1961, a force of 1400 Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba.
The exile force, known as Brigade 2506, was trained in Guatemala and led by Jose Miro Cardona*, head of the anti-Castro Cuban Revolutionary Council.
The brigade came under heavy fire from Fidel Castro's army as they hit the beach.
The invasion, intended to overthrow Castro's communist regime, was hampered by bad weather and a shortage of ammunition. President John F. Kennedy, fearing his country's involvement in the invasion would become publicly known and possibly escalate into a nuclear war with the Soviets, cancelled a second planned air strike.
JFK's decision to approve the invasion has been listed as one of the Top Ten presidential mistakes of all time. President Kennedy quickly acknowledged the mistake and accepted full responsibility. He said...
"Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan."
*Jose Miro Cardona (1902-1972) was born in Havana & became a lawyer & professor at the University of Havana. JMC was a leader of the opposition to President Batista. He suddenly resigned on Feb 13, 1959 & was replaced by Fidel Castro.
SOURCE
"The Brilliant Disaster, JFK, Castro and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.
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