On April 17, 1961, a force of Cuban exiles, supported and trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The operation aimed to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government. Poor planning, lack of air support, and strong Cuban resistance quickly doomed the mission. Many of the invaders were killed or captured. The failure embarrassed the Kennedy administration and strained U.S. credibility abroad. It also pushed Castro closer to the Soviet Union, setting the stage for the Cuban Missile Crisis.
