ANTI-CASTRO BRIGADE HEADS TOWARD CUBA
Miami Beach, Florida (JFK+50) On April 16, 1961, a brigade consisting of 1400 anti-Castro Cubans* sailed aboard five freighters toward the southern coast of Cuba. The destination was Baja de Cochinos or Bay of Pigs.
The invasion's purpose was to overthrow communist dictator Fidel Castro. The United States government, led by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, had been concerned about Castro's attacks on American business interests on the island, his anti-American rhetoric, and alliance with the Soviet Union.
In 1960, President Eisenhower ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to train and equip anti-Castro Cubans to invade Cuba with the intention of overthrowing the communist regime.
Upon his inauguration as President on January 20, 1961, JFK inherited the invasion plans and reluctantly gave his approval. Jim Rasenberger writes that after CIA Director Allen Dulles briefed him on the plans of the invasion, President Kennedy was concerned that this was too small a force to go against Castro's army. He wanted the Joint Chiefs to do "a careful evaluation" of the operation.
The evaluation, presented on January 31st, was favorable to going ahead with the operation. Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson**, however, thought the plan "idiotic." Acheson said...
"It doesn't take Price Waterhouse^ to figure out that 1500 Cubans aren't as good as 25,000."
^Price Waterhouse (Coopers) is a multi-national professional services network headquarted in London, U.K.
*After Castro came to power, many Cubans fled to the United States, primarily to Miami, where they formed a variety of anti-Castro organizations. Sources vary on the number that made up the invasion at the Bay of Pigs. Figures range from 1200 to 1600. At least one source has Castro's army consisting of 30,000.
*Dean Gooderham Acheson (1893-1971) was born in Sandy Springs, MD & educated at Harvard & Yale Universities. DGA served as Secretary of State under President Harry S Truman 1949-1953.
SOURCES
"The Brilliant Disaster: JFK, Castro, and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," by Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.
"This Day In History, April 17: The Bay of Pigs Invasion Begins, www.history.com/
JFK Gets Update on Invasion of Cuba
Miami Beach, Florida (JFK+50) On April 16, 1961, a brigade consisting of 1400 anti-Castro Cubans* sailed aboard five freighters toward the southern coast of Cuba. The destination was Baja de Cochinos or Bay of Pigs.
The invasion's purpose was to overthrow communist dictator Fidel Castro. The United States government, led by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, had been concerned about Castro's attacks on American business interests on the island, his anti-American rhetoric, and alliance with the Soviet Union.
In 1960, President Eisenhower ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to train and equip anti-Castro Cubans to invade Cuba with the intention of overthrowing the communist regime.
Upon his inauguration as President on January 20, 1961, JFK inherited the invasion plans and reluctantly gave his approval. Jim Rasenberger writes that after CIA Director Allen Dulles briefed him on the plans of the invasion, President Kennedy was concerned that this was too small a force to go against Castro's army. He wanted the Joint Chiefs to do "a careful evaluation" of the operation.
The evaluation, presented on January 31st, was favorable to going ahead with the operation. Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson**, however, thought the plan "idiotic." Acheson said...
"It doesn't take Price Waterhouse^ to figure out that 1500 Cubans aren't as good as 25,000."
^Price Waterhouse (Coopers) is a multi-national professional services network headquarted in London, U.K.
*After Castro came to power, many Cubans fled to the United States, primarily to Miami, where they formed a variety of anti-Castro organizations. Sources vary on the number that made up the invasion at the Bay of Pigs. Figures range from 1200 to 1600. At least one source has Castro's army consisting of 30,000.
*Dean Gooderham Acheson (1893-1971) was born in Sandy Springs, MD & educated at Harvard & Yale Universities. DGA served as Secretary of State under President Harry S Truman 1949-1953.
SOURCES
"The Brilliant Disaster: JFK, Castro, and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," by Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.
"This Day In History, April 17: The Bay of Pigs Invasion Begins, www.history.com/
JFK Gets Update on Invasion of Cuba
