The Bay Of Pigs Fiasco Flashcards
Who’s idea was the bay of pigs invasion?
The CIA advised president Kennedy
How many days did it take Castro to defeat USA?
2 days
Who did Kennedy use to invade Cuba in 1961?
Ex Cuban exiles
How did the CIA mislead Kennedy about the bay of pigs invasion?
They promised him it would be an easy victory
What was the plan for the invasion?
Bomb Cuba with disguised planes and then send in 1,400 ground troops
Where did the invasion forces land?
Bay of pigs, 70 miles south of Havana
What did Kennedy cancel?
Kennedy cancelled air support because he thought it would be an easy win
How did Cuba react to USA invading?
USA were met with 20,000 Cuban troops armed with tanks and modern weapons
Name 4 reasons the bay of pigs invasion was an epic fail
- Kennedy pushed Castro to Russia
- USA were outnumbered
- Kennedy cancelled the bombers
- USA were fooled into how easy it would be
When was the bay of pigs invasion?
April 1961
What did Castro do to the invaders?
Captured or killed them
What did the half hearted attempt from USA prove to Cuba and Russia?
That USA were unwilling to get directly involved in Cuba
What was Khrushchev’s reaction to the bay of pigs fiasco?
He was scornful of kennedy’s pathetic attempt to oust communism from Cuba
Name 3 reasons the bay of pigs fiasco strengthened castros position
- pushed Castro into Russia’s arms
- made Kennedy look foolish
- made Castro look like a strong leader
What did Russia announce in May 1962?
It was supplying Cuba with arms
What had happened to Cuba by September 1962?
It was full of Russian missiles, along with boats, tanks, radar vans, jet bombers and fighters and Russian technicians
What was the big question in 1962?
Whether Russia would provide Cuba with nuclear weapons
What did kennedys intelligence department say about Russian nuclear missiles?
They thought Khrushchev wouldn’t dare to put nuclear missiles in Cuba, it would be too risky
What did Kennedy do on the 11th of September 1962?
Warned Khrushchev that he would prevent, by whatever means might be necessary, Cuba becoming an offensive military base
What did Khrushchev do on the 11th of September 1962?
Assured Kennedy he had no need to put nuclear missiles in Cuba
Name 4 impacts of the bay of pigs fiasco
- Castro teamed up with Khrushchev
- Russia providing arms for Cuba
- Kennedy looking foolish
- Cuban missile crisis
Name 3 reasons USA were concerned about events in Cuba in 1959-1961
- Fidel Castro was communist and they didn’t want communism spreading
- Cuba was only 90 miles away from USA, Cuba now have missiles
- Cuba are now buddies with Russia and are against USA
What happened on the 14th October 1962?
USA spy planes flew over Cuba, taking pictures, and saw that Russia wee building nuclear missile sites in Cuba
What did experts say about the pictures taken by the spy planes?
Some of the missile sites could be ready to launch in a week
How many Russian ships did planes see carrying missiles to Russia?
20 soviet ships carrying missiles to Russia
Name 3 reasons Khrushchev put nuclear missiles in Cuba
- protect Cuba from USA
- protect the communism in Cuba from capitalism in USA
- shorten the missile gap
Why did Khrushchev need to protect communism in Cuba?
Cuba was the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere and Khrushchev needed to defend Cuba from the threat of USA capitalism
How did Khrushchev use Cuba as a piece of propaganda?
Under Castro, Cuba became communist by choice, and Khrushchev used this as communist propaganda especially as Cuba is in USA sphere of influence, which made Khrushchev look like an even better leader
Why did Khrushchev need to shorten the missile gap?
USA were winning with deterrent missiles in Turkey and if Khrushchev wanted to be a good leader, he needed to up his game to stay in power
How long have USA had missiles in Russian sphere of influence countries?
Since 1945
