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Definition: Bay of Pigs from Philip's Encyclopedia

(April 17, 1961) Unsuccessful effort by Cuban exiles (aided by the USA) to overthrow Fidel Castro by invading Cuba near the Bay of Pigs. About 1500 Cubans, trained, equipped and transported by the US government, were involved. The invasion was badly planned and the Cuban army defeated the exiles within three days. US President John F. Kennedy initially denied US involvement and was later subject to criticism for its failure. See also Cuban Missile Crisis

Bay of Pigs Invasion

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1961, an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government. On Apr. 17, 1961, an armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles landed in the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the south coast of Cuba. Trained since May, 1960, in Guatemala by members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with the approval of the Eisenhower administration, and supplied with arms by the U.S. government, the rebels intended to foment an insurrection in Cuba and overthrow the Communist regime of Fidel Castro. The Cuban army easily defeated the rebels and by Apr. 20, most were either killed or captured. The invasion provoked anti-U.S. demonstrations in Latin America and Europe and further embittered U.S.-Cuban relations. Poorly planned and executed, the invasion subjected President Kennedy to severe criticism at home. Cuban exile leader José Miró Cardona, president of the U.S.-based National Revolutionary Council, blamed the failure on the CIA and the refusal of Kennedy to…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs

From Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence
In April, 1961, some 1,500 Cuban exiles unsuccessfully attempted to invade their country in order to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro. The failed invasion took place at the Bahia de los Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) in the southwestern part of the island. The United States government, in particular…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs invasion

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(April 17, 1961) Abortive invasion of Cuba directed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and carried out by Cuban exiles. The invasion was intended to spark a rebellion that would topple Fidel Castro , whose communist regime was considered a threat to U.S. interests in the region. The invasion…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs Invasion

From The Oxford Companion to International Relations
The Bay of Pigs Invasion, launched on 17–19 April 1961, was the most serious attempt by the US Central Intelligence Agency to overthrow Fidel Castro. Castro's rise to power in Cuba upset a longstanding hemispheric status quo built upon a US claim to an exclusive sphere of influence in Latin America…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs Invasion

From Encyclopedia of Cuban-United States Relations
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Originally named Operation Trinidad, the Bay of Pigs was a failed operation planned by the Central Intelligence Agency to bring down Fidel Castro's regime. Amidst growing tensions between the United States and Cuba over the direction of the Cuban Revolution, in March 1960, President Dwight D. …
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Full text Article political aspects of the Bay of Pigs invasion

From Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba generally is viewed as one of the most significant American foreign blunders of the cold war . Its roots lay in cold war hubris regarding the scope of American power, stereotyping of the enemy, and pathologies associated with small-group decision making. Because the…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs invasion

From Reference Guide to the Major Wars and Conflicts in History: Wars in the Contemporary World (1950 to Present)
Also known as: Bahía de los Cochinos 1961 abortive U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba, the failure of which contributed to the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis PRINCIPAL COMBATANTS: CIA-backed anti-Castro guerrillas vs. Cuban government forces PRINCIPAL THEATER(S): Bay of Pigs, southern Cuba DECLARATION: …
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Full text Article BAY OF PIGS INVASION

From The Reader's Companion to American History
The Bay of Pigs affair was an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba on April 17, 1961, at Playa Girón (the Bay of Pigs) by about two thousand Cubans who had gone into exile after the 1959 revolution. Encouraged by members of the cia who trained them, the invaders believed they would have air and naval…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs Invasion

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1961, an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government. On Apr. 17, 1961, an armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles landed in the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the south coast of Cuba. Trained since May, 1960, in Guatemala by members of the Central…
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Full text Article BAY of Pigs invasion

From The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories
In 1960 Vice President richard nixon proposed a plan (dubbed Operation Zapata) to topple the regime of Cuban leader fidel castro by means of a military invasion. President Dwight Eisenhower approved the scheme and authorized central intelligence agency (CIA) planning of the assault, but his second…
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Full text Article Bay of Pigs invasion

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
Also known as: Bahía de los Cochinos abortive U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba, the failure of which contributed to the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis When he became president, John F. Kennedy inherited a plan devised in the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration for an invasion of Cuba by CIA-trained…
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