"THESE MEN FOUGHT WELL, THE DISASTER WAS NO FAULT OF THEIRS. THEY ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITY"

LAST GROUP OF BAY OF PIGS POWS FREED BY CASTRO

Havana, Cuba (JFK+50) On April 23, 1963, Premier Fidel Castro,  communist dictator of Cuba, freed the last group of prisoners of war captured at the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961.

Not only had the invasion been a failure, it was an added discomforting fact that the United States had been unable to "get the brigade out of Cuba."  Some of the survivors sat in Castro's prison 20 months.

Castro agreed to a payment of $53 million worth of food and medicine and a cash payment of $2.9 million in return for the brigade's freedom.  It was well worth the ransom. 

A total of 106 brigade members had been killed with 1202 captured by Castro.  9 died during transport to prison and 60 wounded and sick were returned to the U.S. in April 1962.  1,113 POWS were returned after the ransom payment in late December 1962.

Attorney General Robert Kennedy said on December 7, 1962 ...

"My brother made a mistake. These men fought well; the disaster was no fault of theirs.  They are our responsibility."

SOURCE

"The Brilliant Disaster:  JFK, Castro, and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," by Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011. 

 

                          Fidel Castro

"HISTORY IS CONCERNED WITH HOW JFK REACTED TO THIS SETBACK"

DISASTER AT THE 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.  Their goal was to overthrow the communist regime of Fidel Castro.
 

The exile force, Brigade 2506, had been trained in Guatemala and led by Jose Miro Cardona*, head of the anti-Castro Cuban Revolutionary Council.

The brigade came under heavy fire as they hit the beach.

The invasion 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.  The President later characterized his decision as an error, not a mistake, indicating that he intended to correct it.

The American people rallied behind President Kennedy, and his popularity actually increased.  One of the reasons for this was that JFK publicly accepted full blame for the failure, learned from it, and moved on to better days.

Jim Rasenberger writes that Undersecretary of State Chester Bowles** counseled JFK that with time the wounds caused by the Bay of Pigs would heal.  He said...

"What history (will) be concerned with would be how the President reacted to such setbacks."

*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.

**Chester Bliss Bowles (1901-1986) was born in Springfield, MA & graduated from Yale University.  During WWII he was director of the Office of Price Administration & was co-founder of Benton & Bowles Advertising Agency.  CBB served in 4 Democratic presidential administrations.

SOURCE

"The Brilliant Disaster, JFK, Castro and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.

Swearing-in Ceremony

Chester Bowles (1961)

Photo by Robert L. Knudsen

NARA/JFK Library Image

                         

TO ARMS CUBANS! WE MUST CONQUER OR DIE BY SLAVERY!

FREEDOM FIGHTERS LAND AT THE BAY OF PIGS

Bahia de Conchinos, Cuba (JFK+50) On April 17, 1961, a force of 1400 freedom fighters landed at the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba.  The exile force, Brigade 2506, was led by Jose Miro Cardona*, head of the anti-Castro Cuban Revolutionary Council.

On the eve of the invasion, Jose Cardona said...

"To arms Cubans!  We must conquer or we shall die choked by slavery."

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 Soviet Union, cancelled a second planned air strike.

In regard to the CIA's view going in, Jim Rasenberger writes that the CIA "almost certainly" expected the President to eventually make US military support available to the brigade.

And what if the invasion had succeeded?  Clayton Fritchey believes the United States "would have been an occupying force in Cuba faced with...house to house" fighting in Havana which would have brought resentment of the United States in Latin America.

Rasenberger concludes....

"The peculiar truth may be that the result Kennedy got was the VERY BEST he could have desired.  If he achieved this result accidentally, then he was lucky.  If he achieved it intentionally...then he deserves a place as one of the most coldly calculating presidents in history."

Despite Mr. Rasenberger's conclusion, the decision to approve the invasion has been listed as one of the Top Ten presidential mistakes of all time.

*Jose Miro Cardona (1902-1974) was born in Havana, Cuba & graduated from the Havana University Law School.  JMC became one of the island's best criminal lawyers before moving to Miami 8 months before Castro came to power.

SOURCES

"Jose Miro Cardona", www.historyofcuba.com/

"The Brilliant Disaster, JFK, Castro and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.

Map of Cuba

Showing Bay of Pigs

by User: Zleitzen

www.commons.wikimedia.org/

                         

BRIGADE 2506 SAILS FOR CUBA

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1921

CIA TRAINED FREEDOM FIGHTERS DISEMBARK FOR CASTRO'S CUBA

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-five years ago today, April 16, 1961, a force of 1400 anti-Castro Cubans,  trained and equipped by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, sailed aboard five freighters toward the southern coast of Cuba.  Their destination was "Baja de Cochinos" or "Bay of Pigs".

The invasion to overthrow the communist dictator Fidel Castro had been planned during the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower who had approved the clandestine operation.

President John F. Kennedy, having been in office less than three months, made some adjustments to the plan but otherwise also approved it.

When Presidential assistant Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.asked Mr. Kennedy what he thought about the operation, JFK responded...

 "I think about it as little as possible."

The exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on southern coast of Cuba the following day, April 17, 1961.  Their force, known as "Brigade 2506", trained in Guatemala and was led by Jose Miro Cardona, head of the anti-Castro Cuban Revolutionary Council. 

The freedom fighters came under heavy fire from Fidel Castro's army as they hit the beach and the invasion soon ended in disaster with most of these brave men captured.

President Kennedy publicly accepted full responsibility for the failure and the Bay of Pigs has been listed as one of the TOP TEN presidential mistakes of all time.  In one of the best and most recent accounts of the Bay of Pigs, "Brilliant Disaster," Jim Rasenberger writes...

"Long before his death, John Kennedy's presidency was transformed by the Bay of Pigs.  There were...tactical changes (such as) tightening  of the inner circle, increasing reliance on (Bobby Kennedy), the skepticism regarding the advice of military and intelligence advisers...and broader policy changes that escalated the Cold War."

As far as JFK's role in the Bay of Pigs, Rasenberger writes that President Kennedy "could not easily halt the operation (but saw) the potential for serious repercussions if he went ahead."

Nobel Laureate Gunnan Myrdal describes JFK's difficult position as follows...

"If Kennedy had called (the invasion) off, he would have been ruined politically at home, but if he had engaged American forces to salvage a failing covert operation, he would have been ruined abroad."

SOURCE

"The Brilliant Disaster, JFK, Castro and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.

JFK Gets Update on Invasion of Cuba

JFK PRESENTED FLAG OF BRIGADE 2506

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1812

JFK GIVEN BAY OF PIGS BRIGADE FLAG FOR SAFEKEEPING

Miami, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-three years ago today, December 29, 1962, President John F. Kennedy, accompanied by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, welcomed released prisoners of the ill-fated Bay of Pigs to Miami.

The brigade of anti-Castro Cuban exiles hit the beach at Cuba's Bahia de Cochinos on April 17, 1961.  They had been secretly trained and supported by the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

In presenting the flag of the Cuban Invasion Brigade 2506  to President Kennedy,  Deputy Commander Erneido Oliva said...

"Mr. President, the men of Brigade 2506 give you their banner.  We temporarily  deposit it with you for safekeeping."

In accepting the flag, President Kennedy broke from his prepared remarks and said...

"Commander, I can assure you that this flag will be returned to this brigade in a free Havana."

The President went on to say in his formal address...

"You are here following an historic road.  Seventy years ago, Jose Marti, the guiding spirit of the 1st Cuban struggle for independence, lived in exile on these shores.  

You come to us from behind prison walls.  But you leave behind more than 6 million countrymen who are also, in a very real sense, in a prison.  On behalf of my government & my country, I welcome you to the United States.
I bring you my nation's respect for your courage & belief in your cause.

Your small brigade is a tangible reaffirmation that the human desire for freedom...is essentially unconquerable.  I am confident that in your stay here you will sow the seeds of that constructive American which, God willing, in the not too distant future we will see transported to the shores of your beloved island."

*Emeido Andres Olivia Gonzalez was born in Aguacate, Cuba in 1932 & graduated from the Cuban Military Academy in 1934.  EAOG served as professor of artillery at the CMA from 1955 to 1958 & became deputy commander of Brigade 2506.  He was captured by Castro's forces on April 23, 1961.

EAOG developed a close relationship with Attorney General Robert Kennedy after his release & continued work in Operation Mongoose in hopes of freeing his people from Castro's rule.  That work ended when LBJ cancelled all anti-Castro activities.

EAOG earned a Master's Degree at American University & became Deputy Commanding General of the DC Army National Guard.

SOURCE

"Why Did the Assault Brigade 2506 Give Its Flag to President Kennedy For Safekeeping," by Erneido A. Oliva, The Cuban-American Military Council, www.camcocuba.org/

JFK & Mrs. Kennedy in Miami

December 29, 1962

Photo by Cecil Stoughton

JFK Library Image

                

BAY OF PIGS POWS FEEL TWICE BETRAYED

BAY OF PIGS SURVIVORS FEEL TWICE BETRAYED

Little Havana, Miami, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-two years ago today, April 23, 1963, Premier Fidel Castro,  communist dictator of Cuba, freed the last group of prisoners taken captive by his army at the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961.

Of the more than 1300 Cuban refugee freedom fighters who took part in the invasion, less than 900 are still living.  120 died in the invasion while the remainder became POWS. 

Although most of them were released in December 1962 and the rest 52 years ago today, they felt betrayed and now with the recent agreement to normalize relations between Communist Cuba and the United States, they feel betrayed again.

Julio Gonzalez-Rebull said...

"The brigade's members have been betrayed twice, once in April 1961, and now in December 2014."

Julio and many other former POWS meet frequently at the Bay of Pigs Museum here in Miami.  The museum, which opened 28 years ago, displays the large Brigade 2506 flag that was presented to President John F. Kennedy in Miami in December 1962.  

Julio recalls the day as one of renewed hope as the President, off script, said..."This flag will be returned to this Brigade in a free Havana." 

Unfortunately, that was never to be.

Julio was one of those invited to an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs in 2011. He was saddened that some of the members of the United States Congress "didn't even know about April 17, 1961."

SOURCE

"Bay of Pigs Survivors on US-Cuba Thaw: 'Two American presidents betrayed us,'" by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian-US Edition, December 23, 2014, www.theguardian.com/

Flag of Brigade 2506

Photo by MrPenguin20 (2015)

SOVIET COSMONAUT PLUNGES TO DEATH WHEN PARACHUTE FAILS TO DEPLOY

Moscow (JFK+50) Forty-eight years ago today, April 23, 1967, Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov lost his life as the parachute which was to bring him safely back to earth failed to deploy.

Komarov, who made his 1st space journey in 1964, had completed 24 hours and 16 orbits aboard Soyuz I when he experienced problems on re-entry to the earth's atmosphere.

He made two additional orbits, re-entered successfully, but his previous issues had caused the parachute to jam.  At 23,000 feet the chute failed to deploy and the spacecraft plunged to the earth.

Mr. Komarov was cremated and his ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall.

Soviet Comonaut 

Vladimir Komarov

RFK ASSASSIN SENTENCED TO DEATH PENALTY  

Los Angeles, California (JFK+50) Forty-six years ago today, April 23, 1969, Sirhan Sirhan, who shot Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York on June 5, 1968, was given the death penalty.

Senator Kennedy, formerly Attorney General for President John F. Kennedy, ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1968. 

After winning the California Primary on June 4, RFK had just completed a short victory speech in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel here in Los Angeles when he was shot.  

In 1972, California abolished the death penalty and Sirhan's sentence was changed to life imprisonment.  Sirhan continues to serve his sentence today.

Sirhan Sirhan

BAY OF PIGS

DISASTER AT THE BAY OF PIGS 53 YEARS AGO TODAY

Bahia de Conchinos, Cuba (JFK+50) A force of 1400 Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba 53 years ago today, April 17, 1961.

The exile force, known as Brigade 2506, trained in Guatemala and was 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, planned by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, had been approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and was continued  by the new president, John F. Kennedy.

The invasion, the purpose of which was to overthrow communist dictator Fidel Castro, was hampered by bad weather and a shortage of ammunition.

The CIA plan called for two air strikes on Castro's air bases.  The first strike failed and left most of the Cuban Air Force intact.

JFK, fearing United States involvement in the invasion would become publicly known and a possible escalation into a nuclear confrontation with the USSR, cancelled the second planned air strike.

20,000 of Castro's forces killed 100 of the invaders and captured 1200.

The POWS were held for 20 months while the Kennedy administration worked for their release.

On December 29, 1962, in Miami's Orange Bowl, President and Mrs. Kennedy welcomed the exiles to the United States.

           President and Mrs. Kennedy
                      Miami, Florida
                  December 29, 1962
                  JFK Library Photo

President Kennedy publicly accepted full responsibility for the failure saying...

"I am the responsible officer of the government."

The Bay of Pigs fiasco has been included in the TOP TEN of presidential mistakes.

In one of the best and most recent accounts of the Bay of Pigs, "Brilliant Disaster," Jim Rasenberger writes...

"Long before his death, John Kennedy's presidency was transformed by the Bay of Pigs.  There were...tactical changes (such as) tightening  of the inner circle, increasing reliance on (Bobby Kennedy), the skepticism regarding the advice of military and intelligence advisers...and broader policy changes that escalated the Cold War."

As far as JFK's role in the Bay of Pigs, Rasenberger says that President Kennedy...

"could not easily halt the operation (but saw) the potential for serious repercussions if he went ahead."

In regard to the CIA's view going in, Rasenberger asks....

"Did the CIA (expect) the president to eventually make US military support available to the brigade?"

He answers...

"Almost certainly."

Further insight is provided by a quote from Nobel Laureate Gunnan Myrdal who described JFK's position this way...

"If Kennedy had called (the invasion) off, he would have been ruined politically at home, but if he had engaged American forces to salvage a failing covert operation, he would have been ruined abroad."

But what if the invasion had succeeded?

Clayton Fritchey believes the United States "would have been an occupying force in Cuba faced with...house to house" fighting in Havana which would have brought resentment of the United States in Latin America.

Interestingly, Rasenberger concludes....

"The peculiar truth may be that the result Kennedy got was the VERY BEST he could have desired.

If he achieved this result accidentally, then he was lucky.  If he achieved it intentionally...then he deserves a place as one of the most coldly calculating presidents in history."

SOURCE

"The Brilliant Disaster, JFK, Castro and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.

                         

JFK AND JACKIE VISIT MIAMI

JFK AND JACKIE VISITED MIAMI 51 YEARS AGO

Miami, Florida (JFK+50) Fifty-one years ago today, December 29, 1962, President John F. Kennedy, accompanied by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, paid a visit here in Miami to welcome the released prisoners of the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion.

The brigade of anti-Castro Cuban exiles hit the beach at Cuba's Bahia de Cochinos on April 17, 1961.  They had been secretly trained and supported by the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

President Kennedy was presented the flag of Brigade 2506 by Erneido Oliva.

The President, at a ceremony held at the Orange Bowl,  accepted the flag and said:

"I can assure you that this flag will be returned to this brigade in a free Havana."

JFK Accepts Flag of Brigade 2506

Miami, Florida

December 29, 1962

Photo by Cecil Stoughton

JFK Library Image

JFK continued...

"You are here following an historic road.  Seventy years ago, Jose Marti*, the guiding spirit of the 1st Cuban struggle for independence, lived in exile on these shores.  

You come to us from behind prison walls.  But you leave behind more than 6 million countrymen who are also, in a very real sense, in a prison.

On behalf of my government and my country, I welcome you to the United States.

I bring you my nation's respect for your courage and belief in your cause.

Your small brigade is a tangible reaffirmation that the human desire for freedom...is essentially unconquerable."

              JFK and Mrs. Kennedy in Miami
                         December 29, 1962
                  Photo by Cecil Stoughton
                         JFK Library Image


*Jose Marti (1853-1895), born in Havana, traveled through Latin America, Spain and the United States raising support for the cause of Cuban independence.

Marti was a key figure in Cuba's war for independence from Spain and gave his life for the cause on the field of battle.

Jose Marti was also a poet and essayist whose works include themes of freedom, liberty and democracy.

                 Statue of Jose Marti
                       Central Park
                     New York City

JFK+50 Note:

Today's post has been revised from our post of December 29, 2012.

BAY OF PIGS INVASION LAUNCHED 52 YEARS AGO

April 17, 2013

BAY OF PIGS INVASION LAUNCHED 52 YEARS AGO

Washington, D. C. (JFK+50) A force of 1400 Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on southern coast of Cuba 52 years ago today, April 17, 1961.

The exile force, known as "Brigade 2506", trained in Guatemala and led by Jose Miro Cardona, head of the anti-Castro Cuban Revolutionary Council, came under heavy fire from Fidel Castro's army as they hit the beach.

The invasion, planned by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, had been approved during the Eisenhower years and was also supported by the new Kennedy administration.

The invasion, the purpose of which was to overthrow communist dictator Fidel Castro, was hampered by bad weather and a shortage of ammunition.

The CIA plan called for 2 air strikes on Castro's air bases.  The 1st strike failed and left most of the Cuban Air Force intact.

JFK, fearing United States involvement in the invasion would become publicly known, cancelled the 2nd planned air strike.

20,000 of Castro's forces were then able to kill 100 of the invaders and capture 1200.  These POWS were held for 20 months while the Kennedy administration worked for their release.

On December 29, 1962, in Miami's Orange Bowl, President and Mrs. Kennedy welcomed the exiles to the United States.

           President and Mrs. Kennedy
                      Miami, Florida
                  December 29, 1962
                  JFK Library Photo

President Kennedy publicly accepted full responsibility for the failure and the Bay of Pigs has been included in the TOP TEN of presidential mistakes.

In one of the best and most recent accounts of the Bay of Pigs, "Brilliant Disaster," Jim Rasenberger writes...

"Long before his death, John Kennedy's presidency was transformed by the Bay of Pigs.  There were...tactical changes (such as) tightening  of the inner circle, increasing reliance on (Bobby Kennedy), the skepticism regarding the advice of military and intelligence advisers...and broader policy changes that escalated the Cold War."

As far as JFK's role in the Bay of Pigs, Rasenberger writes that President Kennedy "could not easily halt the operation (but saw) the potential for serious repercussions if he went ahead."

And in regard to the CIA's view going in, Rasenberger asks....

"Did the CIA (expect) the president to eventually make US military support available to the brigade?"

He answers...

"Almost certainly."

Further insight is provided by a quote from Nobel Laureate Gunnan Myrdal who described JFK's position this way...

"If Kennedy had called (the invasion) off, he would have been ruined politically at home, but if he had engaged American forces to salvage a failing covert operation, he would have been ruined abroad."

But what if the invasion had succeeded?

Clayton Fritchey believes the United States "would have been an occupying force in Cuba faced with...house to house" fighting in Havana which would have brought resentment of the United States in Latin America.

Interestingly, Rasenberger concludes....

"The peculiar truth may be that the result Kennedy got was the VERY BEST he could have desired.  If he achieved this result accidentally, then he was lucky.  If he achieved it intentionally...then he deserves a place as one of the most coldly calculating presidents in history."

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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