BAY OF PIGS Essay

When Fidel Castro took over Cuba by means of a revolution, he quickly established his government as the first openly Communist government in the western hemisphere. He petitioned the Soviet Union for aid, which was cheerfully given him. These events went against our current policies, as well as the Monroe Doctrine, which established us as the police force of the western hemisphere. Ninety miles away from the greatest bastion of Capitalism was now residing its greatest foe. This tense situation was brought to a boiling point by the arrival of

While it may be true that Fidel Castro had a strong impact on the uprising of the crisis, it is crucial to consider John F. Kennedy as the person most at fault for the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy, America's president at the time, is often been called the most to blame because he overreacted to the missiles in Cuba. The question is if it was an overreaction or just a precaution for the safety and security of the American people. After the CIA spotted the missiles in Cuba, they informed Kennedy and he immediately called for a “quarantine” on Cuba’s eastern coast, setting up a blockade of ships along the coastline. Although many perceive this as an act of safety and protection, it is also easy to say that it was in fact “an act of aggression”

     At first Bush, Nixon, Cabel, and Hunt decided to just go ahead with the corporate/CIA planned invasion on Cuba. Just 2 hours before the invasion General Cabel called JFK and asked for permission to provide U.S. air cover for the CIA invasion. Kennedy said no.

“One of our greatest assets is that all men aspire to be equal and free. This fact haunts the rulers of the Kremlin today for they cannot change the law of nature and they know it.” stated Allen Dulles, the fifth director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Cold War, Bay of Pigs Invasion began on April 17, 1961 and has had an everlasting effect on the history of the United States and the world. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an encounter between Cuban exiles, armed and trained by the American Central Intelligence Agency and the military forces of Fidel Castro. The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion proceeded to unite the Soviet Union and Cuba to create mass terror in the United States and for its allies. The belief was that if the Soviet

Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis- Believed the US was to weak to oppose Russian expansion to Cuba

On October 16, 1962 the United States began a blockade of Cuba after spy planes had confirmed the establishment of Soviet nuclear missile sites in the country. These missiles posed an unprecedented danger on the United states being only miles from the American coast line. During this ordeal, the country was divided on how to proceed, the military command or “Hawks”, favored the invasion of Cuba to dismantle the missiles. Others favored a more peaceful approach and

The Cuban Missile Crisis forever marked 1962 as the year the world almost witnessed a nuclear war. The Soviet Union, Cuba, and the United States were all teetering on the edge of a cliff that was crumbling from the weight of fear, tension, and secrecy. It also marked the official end of Americans innocent belief that they were safe in the glow of Lady Liberty’s torch. Yet amidst the dark shadow of nuclear threat one American president rose to this challenge and proved that peace through strength is the best strategy.

Although mentioned as a valid option, President Kennedy and several advisors were vehemently opposed to the idea of doing nothing. The political cost of doing nothing was simply too high to pay domestically and internationally. The administration was still reeling from the Bay of Pigs failure and dealing with Republican rhetoric that Kennedy was soft on security vis-à-vis the Soviets and Cuba. To those points, Kennedy had previously released a press statement in September 1962 stating, “the gravest issues would arise if the United States found evidence of Soviet ground combat troops in Cuba; Soviet bases on the island;…or any other ‘significant offensive capability’” (Fursenko and Naftali 1998, 206).

“First, I want to say that there will not be, under any conditions, an intervention in Cuba by the United States Armed Forces. This government will do everything it possibly can, I think it can meet its responsibilities, to make sure that there are no Americans involved in any actions inside Cuba… The basic issue in Cuba is not one between the United States and Cuba. It is between the Cubans themselves.” These words were spoken by President John F. Kennedy at a press conference on April 12, 1961, just five days before the Bay of Pigs invasion took place. Little did the American public know that in five short days, the United States would support an attempted invasion on the Cuban shore—unsuccessfully. The $46

In October 1962, the USSR and the United States of America were on the brink of a nuclear war that had devastating implications on a global scale. In the aftermath of the Second World War, both the USSR and the U.S. found themselves in a power struggle to become the prominent world super power. Subsequently, both states became involved in an ever evolving ‘arms race’ which saw an antagonistic approach towards defence and security measures. The reason for choosing this topic to research is that I am profoundly interested in global politics and interactions between states. The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to a standstill as they waited for potentially catastrophic repercussions as the consequence of two very dissimilar states clashing. At the centre of all this was President John F. Kennedy who is a leader that I deeply admire and one who fronted up to the challenges put before him and came out better as a result, engraining his legacy in the history books. In this research essay I intend to analyse and discuss the relationship between the USSR and the U.S. throughout the Cold War period, the build up to the Cuban Missile Crisis and ensuing tensions surrounding it. Whilst doing so, I will also look at President John F. Kennedy’s decision making throughout this period and the consequences of these decisions, in particular, his decision to blockade Cuba.

John F. Kennedy, in his January 1961 inaugural address, emphasized the desire for peace among U.S. adversaries and the unwavering fear Americans must foster in negotiating with those who oppose the country’s democratic principles. Within the early months of his presidency, Kennedy faced pressure within his administration to combat the rising socialist power of Cuba in Latin America. However, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev forced his position in Cuba, ultimately countering U.S. occupation by deploying Soviet troops and maintaining communist influence in the region. Khrushchev believed that U.S. invasion in Cuba was imminent and prepared to fight against American troops. The Vienna Summit in 1961 outlined the desire to takeover Berlin, a

On April 15, 1961 the Bay of Pigs invasion began to invade Cuba and remove Castro from the leadership. The unsuccessful invasion was stopped two days later. Now Castro needed the strong arm of the Soviets even more. With the Cold War arms race in effect, Castro knew that the Soviets could protect him from future invasions from the United States.

“Victory has a thousand fathers while defeat is an orphan,” remarked John F. Kennedy. The Bay of Pigs invasion code named operation Zapata began in March of 1960 one month and a year before the famed invasion took place. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to begin a covert operation to bring down the pro-communist Cuban government. Nonetheless Fidel Castro’s potential pro-communist beliefs, the seizure of American owned companies and land lead to extreme concern from United States policy makers and officials. The mission, however would become possibly one of the greatest intelligence failures in the history of the United States. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion lead to a new era in the military and intelligence fields that continues to affect foreign policy

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 reflects possibly the most precarious moment in nuclear history. For the first time, the world’s two nuclear super powers, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, were poised to destroy each other in a war of unprecedented proportion. On the brink of what may have escalated into a nuclear war, the leaders of two nations showed courageous restraint and diplomacy to avoid an exchange of brute force and unimaginable desolation. The situation was preempted by the Bay of Pigs, an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba. Castro had gained authority through a rebellion against Fulgencio Batista, the previous Cuban dictator (Bay of Pigs). America was displeased with Castro, mainly because he was a Communist leader so close to American shores, so a plan to depose him was made, without official United States military support.

The Movie begins with an intimate scene of a woman and man. In the scene, the woman says “your safe with me, I love you, people who love each other don’t have secrets." This scene becomes significant throughout the entire movie. The movie begins and ends with the Bay of Pigs.