Bay of Pigs Invasion Lecture by Author J. J. Valdes | Military History Club - Missouri Athletic Club | 12 Noon (Central) in-person or Zoom
- Feb 25, 2025 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST
- Location: Military History Club - Missouri Athletic Club, 12 Noon (Central) in- person or by Zoom
- Description:
On Tuesday, February 25, the Military History Club of the Missouri Athletic Club turns its attention to the Caribbean as it welcomes a Zoom appearance by J J. Valdes, author of the recently released Besieged Beachhead: The Cold War Battle for Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
Early on April 17, 1961, 1,400 men of Brigade 2506—Cuban exiles trained by the CIA in Guatemala—began landing at the Bay of Pigs, just over 100 miles southeast of Havana. Nearly everything went wrong. Boat engines failed. Coral reefs snarled landing craft. Castro’s planes destroyed ships carrying vital ammunition and medical supplies. Expected popular support within Cuba did not materialize. Khrushchev rattled the nuclear saber, spooking Kennedy from ordering assistance he was reluctant to provide anyway. Over the course of three days, the Brigade obstinately defended a rapidly shrinking beachhead, but the exiles—outnumbered and under supported —were no match for the air and ground forces Castro threw against them. By Ap
- Created by: Scott Lyons
