Sting of Bay of Pigs Invasion Still Felt 50 Years Later

COMMENTARY | For thousands of Cubans, this weekend is a time for celebration. It marks the 50^th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the unsuccessful attempt by the United States to remove Cuban dictator Fidel Castro from power.

President John F. Kennedy authorized the covert operation in April 1961. CIA-trained Cuban exiles were deployed to the southern coast of Cuba, known as the Bay of Pigs. Forewarned of the invasion, Castro sent 20,000 of his own troops, who captured the rebels and ultimately executed many of them. The failed invasion embarrassed the young president's administration, and greatly influenced future foreign relations with Cuba. Following are five examples of the aftermath.

Operation Mongoose

After the Bay of Pigs debacle, President Kennedy, increasingly anxious to strip Castro of power, proposed Operation Mongoose,designed to "provoke, harass, or disrupt Cuba." The 10,000 CIA-drafted pages outlined plans to destroy Cuban sugar crops and included assassination plots as well, allegedly with proposals to poison Castro's cigars and plant explosives in seashells. Never officially carried out, Operation Mongoose proved yet another thwarted attempt at removing Castro from power.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Following Bay of Pigs, Castro officially announced a communistic Cuban government. To the dismay of the United States, he also strengthened ties with the Soviet Union.

In October of 1962, after the discovery of Soviet missile sites in Cuba, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade around the island to disrupt further missiles imports. Following his demand that the Soviets remove existing missiles, the nation waited 13 long days for a resolution as it teetered on the brink of nuclear war. Finally there was a collective sigh of relief, as Kennedy and Soviet leader Krushchev reached a peaceful agreement and the missiles were removed from Cuba.

Cuban Embargo

In 1960, Kennedy had issued an economic embargo with Cuba in an attempt to slow Castro's influence from spreading. The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion fueled the president's anti-Castro obsession, prompting him to up the ante by declaring travel to Cuba illegal, along with all financial dealings. This embargo still remains in effect today, 50 years after the Bay of Pigs. Many continue to voice opposition, calling the embargo not only obsolete but also counter-intuitive if we ever wish to see Cuba become a democracy.

Elian Gonzalez Saga

Decades of tense U.S.-Cuban relations followed the Bay of Pigs Invasion. In 1999, fishermen discovered a young Cuban boy in a small vessel off the Florida coast. This boy's name was Elian Gonzalez, and the story of his family's quest for American life quickly made international headlines.

Immigration laws stemming from the Cuban embargo forced the boy to return to his homeland. This stirred anger and resentment not only among Elian's relatives but also among Cuban-Americans nationwide. Now in his mid-teens, Elian is a proud Cuban with aspirations of becoming an officer in Fidel's Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Fidel Castro: 45 Years of Revolution

In many ways, the Bay of Pigs Invasion strengthened Castro's vision of revolution. A victory over American imperialism was a proud achievement for his Cuban militia. Hopes of Castro being overthrown dwindled as support for Cuban nationalism grew. Adding insult to injury, Castro made things personal by turning to the Soviet Union for aid and protection.

Fidel remained in power for decades and did not relinquish his command until 2008, when he turned over the presidency to his brother. While the final chapter of Castro's life is still unfolding, his legacy as a revolutionary is set in stone, the earliest etchings carved 50 years ago during the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Sources: "Cuban Missile Crisis," jfklibrary.org
"Fidel Castro," biography.com
"10 Years Later, Elian Gonzalez Feels No Anger," CBS News
John Collins, "Should the U.S. lift the Embargo Against Cuba," dailyuw.com
Jerry Sierra, "Invasion at Bay of Pigs ," historyofcuba.com