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Article: 1961: the Bay of Pigs: a force of Cuban exiles trained and equipped by the U.S. invaded Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.(TIMES PAST)
- Article from:
- New York Times Upfront
- Article date:
- March 13, 2006
- Author:
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Well before dawn on Monday, April 17, 1961, a brigade of 1,500 Cuban exiles landed on the beaches of the Bay of Pigs in southern Cuba. They hoped to trigger a counter-revolution that would overthrow the fledgling socialist and pro-Soviet regime headed by Fidel Castro.
Instead, within three days almost all of the exiles who formed Brigade 2506 were dead or captured. The United States, which had sponsored their invasion, was reeling from a major diplomatic and military embarrassment.
The increased mistrust between the two countries would contribute one year later to the Cuban missile crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Forty-five ...