23. The Self Delusion at the Heart of a Doomed Invasion
In the spring of 1961, American-trained Cuban exiles opposed to Fidel Castro’s Cuban Revolution readied themselves to overthrow the bearded strongman and his communist regime. In a fatal blunder, the exiles were convinced – or more accurately, convinced themselves – that Castro lacked widespread support, and that the population would rise up in revolt as soon the invasion began. In another blunder, they were convinced – or convinced themselves – that they would be supported by the US Air Force, and that US Marines would follow right behind them.
The aerial cover that actually promised to the exiles by the CIA was limited support from 16 WWII era B-26 medium bombers, that were to fly out of bases in Nicaragua. However, that number was halved to 8 bombers when the new US President, John F. Kennedy, insisted that the operation be kept minimal. On April 17th, 1961, over 1400 Cuban exile paramilitaries, divided into six battalions, set sail from Nicaragua and Honduras. That night, they landed on a beach in Cuba’s Bay of Pigs.
