GROUP 8: The President’s Daily Bulletin – The Bay of Pigs

Timeline

1959:

Revolutionary Fidel Castro leads a guerilla army into Cuba to overthrow General Fulgencio Batista.

Batista is considered an ally to the United States because he allows American businesses and wealthy

individuals to own Cuban plantations, cattle ranches, mines and utilities. Castro does not support this.

March, 1960

President Eisenhower approves a CIA plan to train 1,400 Cuban exiles to invade Cuba, which he hopes

would inspire ordinary Cubans to overthrow Castro and reinstate a government friendly to the US.

Cuban intelligence learns of the training camps where exiles are planning the invasion in Guatemala.

May, 1960

Castro establishes diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

US responds by prohibiting the importation of Cuban sugar; Soviet Union steps in to buy Cuban sugar.

January, 1961

John F. Kennedy is inaugurated. Shortly thereafter he is briefed on the planned exile invasion; he

authorizes the invasion plan, but argues that the US’ role should be kept secret. CIA plans to land the

exiles at the Bay of Pigs, a swampy area on the southern coast of Cuba.

April 15, 1961

To begin the invasion and provide cover for exiles, the US sends eight bombers, repainted to look like

Cuban air force planes, to bomb Cuban airfields. The bombers miss many targets and pictures are

released showing that the attacking planes are indeed US bombers repainted to avoid suspicion.

April 17, 1961

1,400 Cuban exiles land at Bay of Pigs and take heavy casualties from the Cuban air force and army.

Castro orders 20,000 troops to attack the invaders and his air force to attack from the sky.

April 19, 1961

Kennedy orders unmarked American planes to support, but they are late and shot down by the Cubans.

More than 100 exiles are killed and close to 1,200 surrender to Castro. Castro imprisons them for 20

months. The US eventually pays for their release with $53, 000,000 worth of baby food and medicine

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 1

Source: Statement by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy on Cuba and Neutrality Laws, April 20, 1961.

Source: National Archives, ARC 193990

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 2

White House Memorandum (TOP SECRET), [Proposal for Command Operation in Cuba, November 1, 1961.

Source: NSA Archive at George Washington University, http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/19611101.pdf

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 3

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 4

Dispatch from Canadian Ambassador to Cuba, June 15, 1961to the Canadian Government in Ottawa. Source:

The National Security Archive at George Washington University,

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/19610615.pdf.

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 4 Continues

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 5

Source: The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-

factbook/geos/cu.html.

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 6

ST-19-3-62 29 December 1962 Miami, Florida Address to the 2506 Cuban Invasion Brigade at the Orange Bowl Stadium. Mrs. Kennedy

speaks informally with Brigade leaders Eneido Oliva, Jose Perez San Roman, Manuel Artime, and former Cuban President Jose Miro

Cardona after the ceremonies. Photograph by Cecil Stoughton, White House. Source: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum,

Boston, http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/H55aYSncgkGYZPzBVLT0IA.aspx

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 7

Fidel Castro arrives MATS Terminal,

Washington, D.C., April 15, 1959.

Photographer: Warren K. Leffler.

Source: Library of Congress:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2

004672759/

[Fidel Castro and

Nikita Khrushchev

make their way in

the midst of a

crowd] / World

Telegram & Sun

photo by

Herman Hiller,

1960. Source:

Library of Congress,

http://www.loc.gov/

pictures/item/0065

2628.

BAY OF PIGS INVASION – PRIMARY SOURCE 8

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a speech given by Fidel Castro on Cuban radio on March 23,

1961. The speech was recorded by the US Foreign Broadcast Information Service. Source: Latin American

Information Center, http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/cuba/castro.html.