Towards the end of our 11 th grade year, every student was required to come up with a topic around which their History Internal Assessment would be based. For my part, due to the fact that I am relatively unknowledgeable on many aspects that have to do with Cuba, I chose to write my assessment on the Bay of Pigs. For this reason, I read the book “The Perfect Failure: Kennedy, Eisenhower, and the CIA at the Bay of Pigs” by Trumbull Higgins. Though considerably critical, I found this book particularly good in describing the situation leading up to the Bay of Pigs, and the pits and falls that US policy fell through, causing this Cuban bloodbath. Starting from the very first chapter of the book, “Guatemala’s ‘Fortunes’ and ‘Success'”, Higgins gives a slight background of the history of Cuba, ranging from 1901 when Cuba was first liberated from Spain, up to a few years prior to the Bay of Pigs, in which the foundation for the conflict to come is already being set up. As the book goes on, Higgins also describes the events at the Bay of Pigs on that tragic seventeenth of April.
He mentions the “frogmen” that went ashore with the landing lights at 2: 30 AM, the troops that were supposed to move W, NW, and up the coast to reach troops at Playa Laura, and also the T-33 trainer jets, with the two Sea Furies, and the two B-26 s that Castro sent into the air to stop the invading forces. Clearly, the picture he paints of what the Cubans endured is one of betrayal, hurt, and treachery. Having fixed an agreement, the Cubans became the victims when the supplies, support, and aide never came. Going with the more analytical and disapproving approach, Higgins also comments on the way the United States handled the situation, frequently blaming the Central Intelligence Agency and the incompetence of the young inexperienced president Kennedy, and of his inept advisors. Nevertheless, Higgins backs up this opinion with the fact that Kennedy was “reported as initially desiring to splinter the agency into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.” In addition, Kennedy himself felt “a personal responsibility for the failure” (155).
The Term Paper on Bay Of Pigs Kennedy Cuba Usa
The Cuban missile crisis was the most dangerous of the Cold War, but it still involves the two main superpower enemies; Russia and America, only this time Cuba got involved too. The Cold War happened because America was scared that Communism would spread to their democratic West. Russia being the huge superpower in the east was Communist, and after the Russian Revolution, Lenin was planned on ...
Furthermore, Higgins also seems to fault Eisenhower for pushing Kennedy to quickly decide on what to do and not warn anyone “Eisenhower urged Kennedy to keep his mouth shut about the whole operation” (77).
In conclusion, though a considerable amount of the book does in fact deal with the basic narration of situations and historical events that pertain to the Bay of Pigs and its circumstantial surroundings, there is valuable and accurate insight and information. For example, a large amount of substantial evidence, such as newspaper re portages and varied quotes, prove his statements. For this reason, I believe this is a must-read for anyone who needs to get a detailed over-all picture of what exactly occurred in Cuba during this time, and how the United- States contributed, or failed to contribute, in this event. Subjectivity aside, which in fact is inevitable with any type of controversial political issue such as this, “The Perfect Failure” very well portrays the situation and perspective of the moment..
