Skip to main content
April 17, 1961militarymilitary operationsforeign policycold warbay of pigsinvasion

CIA-backed exiles land at the Bay of Pigs and try to topple Castro

Cuban exiles trained and backed by the CIA land at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. The invasion quickly becomes a public test of the new Kennedy administration. Its failure convinces Cuban and Soviet leaders that another U.S. attack remains possible.