History Questions and Answers

1. How and why did the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis occur? Is there anything you think the U.S. could have done better in these two crises?

1.1 Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion happened in 1961, but collapsed within two days. The invasion was directed and financed by the US government. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provided the statistical supported needed to invade the Bay of Pigs. The Bay Pigs Invasion was conducted during the Cold War after President J. F Kennedy believed that Cuba was working with the Soviets (CIA, 2016). The Cuban Exiles opposing the Cuban revolution took part in the invasion to overthrow the President Fidel Castro’s communist government. More than 1400 paramilitaries trained by the CIA and US military in Guatemala launched the invasion in 1961 (CIA, 2016). The CIA provided b-26 bombers to the paramilitaries that attacked Cuban Airfields. Two days after the main invasion, the Cuban Army under the leadership of Castro defeated the invaders who were overpowered. International supporters of the invasion failed to provide air and naval support needed to defeat Castro (CIA, 2016).

The US failed in numerous ways during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. First, the New York Times shared the details of the invasion after reporting that the US was training an invasion force in Florida and Guatemala (Klein, 2019). Therefore, the US could have safeguarded its operation secrets. Second, the US could have studied the reconnaissance photographs before landing to identify the coral reefs in the Bay of Pigs. Poor study of the area resulted in poor timing and botched landing by the invaders (Klein, 2019). The President could have sent Marine forces stationed in Puerto Rico to provide naval support to the invaders.

1.2 The Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962, a military and political standoff between the US and the Soviet Union leaders led to

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