April 1961Reputable sourceWell documented

The Bay of Pigs

On the timeline · around April 1961 ·

What happened

In April 1961 the CIA launched the Bay of Pigs invasion, landing a force of Cuban exiles to topple Castro. It was a total failure: the exiles were quickly defeated and captured, humiliating the new Kennedy administration.

Why it matters

The disaster hardened Washington's obsession with Castro. Rather than abandon the effort, Kennedy's team redoubled it through covert action — and the assassination plots pressed on.

Sources

U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. The Bay of Pigs Invasion and its Aftermath, April 1961–October 1962 · Reputable source

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