The Bay of Pigs

In 1959 Fidel Castro led a revolutionary movement which overthrew the old government. This marked the end of a productive relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. The Soviets used this to their advantage and provided aid to the Cubans. This led to the alliance between the two states. Castro officially revealed he was in favor of Communism on December 1961. The United States knew they would have to intervene.

At the beginning of Castro's regime, the United States cut off Cuban sugar imports. However, this became ineffective when the Soviets stepped in. When Castro showed his true colors, JFK decided that Castro and his supporters must be overthrown. This led to the Bay of Pigs incident. 1,500 Cubans, who were against Castro and were trained by the U.S. landed in Cuba in a place called the Bay of Pigs. This invasion failed to incite a protest, and when support did not arrive, the men were either killed or captured.

Invasion of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro

This was embarrassing for the United States, and led to the decrease in American influence in Latin America.