The Bay of Pigs invasion - a victory to celebrate

Malini Govinnage

On April 19 Cuba and her diplomatic friends celebrated the 50th anniversary of the victory of the Bay of Pigs - the victory of the US assisted invasion of the Cuban exiles

Commemorating this victory is just as much or more important today than half a century ago when the world powers were in two power blocks and were thought to be sinister or threatening to world peace.

Today, as never before, the world's burgeoning nations like Sri Lanka, the oil rich Middle East and many other small nations are constantly beset by the aggression of a few rich capitalist nations led by the US who are in the guise of a few world associations for peace and economic development in the globe.

Fidel Castro	John F. Kennedy

The Bay of Pigs is an inlet on the Southern coast of Cuba - a narrow strip cut off from the mainland by a 10 or more long stretch of swamps. In the American CIA-sponsored attempt to overthrow the new Government of Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro in April 1961, Playa Gir¢n and Playa Larga in the Bay of Pigs were the landing sites for seaborne forces of armed Cuban exiles.

Three mud roads built just after the revolution connected the area with the mainland. The invaders thought it would be easy to block these three entrances of Cuban forces.

Landing at the two separate points of Bay of Pigs, the plan of the invaders was to set up a beachhead and declare a provisional counter revolutionary Government which would request and would immediately obtain a direct US military invasion.

Cuban revolution

Who were the exiles who attempted the invasion? They were the thousands of anti-Castro Cubans who fled the country just before or soon after the Cuban revolution in 1959. Professor Jose Canton Navarro in his book 'History of Cuba, Biography of a People' says: A glance at the composition of the invading mercenary brigade was enough to realize that its purpose was to re-establish oligarchic control: 194 ex- military officers, 100 big land owners, 24 big property owners, 67 real estate owners, 112 big merchants, 35 industrial magnates, 179 wealthy individuals and 112 lumpen and anti social elements: many others were children or relatives of wealthy people who had lost their old privileges.

The invaders named Brigade 2505 consisted of 1500 who were provided with the guerilla training by the CIA in the camps in Nicaragua and Guatemala. They were led by Jose Mire Cardona, who was a former member of Castro's Government. And, almost all of them were exiles in the state of Miami in the US.

The American planes which were used in the World War 11, painted to resemble the Cuban Air Force planes were used by the invaders for air-strikes to create an impression that it was an internal revolt against Fidel Castro. But the plot was an utter failure as the photos of the repainted US planes became public revealed the direct American involvement of the invasion attempt.

US government

Cuban revolutionary forces fought the brigade of invaders, its naval units, tanks and planes for which they had the timely weaponry support from the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. In less than 72 hours Cuban forces had defeated the enemy.

Some exiles escaped to the sea while the rest surrendered. More than 100 were killed.

After five days of the Bay of Pigs Victory, President John F. Kennedy admitted the US government's responsibility in the failed invasion. The war prisoners remained in captivity for almost two years as the US negotiated a deal with the Cuban government.

Finally the two Governments agreed to exchange the prisoners for children's food and medicine amounting to the figure of indemnification demanded by Cuba. It was the first time in the History of the US, it was paying a war indemnification to another country.

The Bay of Pigs victory consolidated the Cuban People's confidence in their own forces, confirmed the value of international solidarity and increased the prestige of the Cuban Revolution before the world.