apr 18, 1961 - Bay of Pigs invasion

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This was originally president Eisenhower's plan but was carried out by president Kennedy.
1400 Cuban exiles were trained by the Americans to overthrow Castro. However, before the invasion Kennedy scaled back air support.
The exiles landed in the Bay of Pigs but were met by 20 000 Cuban troops who had Soviet supplied weapons. Most of the American trained troops were killed or taken hostage. It was a complete failure.
The invasion made Kennedy look weak and strengthened Castro's position in Cuba. It made the Cubans and Soviets more suspicious of US policy.

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