The Bay of Pigs

Bay of Pigs

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University

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Bay of Pigs

The interest of the United States in Cuba goes as far back as the pre-Civil War era when it wanted to annex Cuba as a slave state for its cotton . However , it was only in 1898 that Cuba was won from Spain following the Spanish-American war . While this lasted only until 1902 the U .S . was able to negotiate a long-term lease on the island at the Guantanamo Bay and turned it into a naval base . From that time until

Castro took the helm , the second most powerful official in Cuba after the President was the U .S . Ambassador (Lafeber , 19 April 1986 ,

. 537

In 1947 , open hostilities with communism have begun . President Truman recommended to the U .S . Congress to stop the Russian aggression in Europe . This was contained in the Truman Doctrine (Ismael , 1965 ,

br 3212 . This was followed by a U .S .-led food airlift to the western sector which the Russians were starving out with its Berlin blockade Then , there was the assistance provided to the communists , by the way eventually won and the active participation in the Korean War of 1950 While such actions were unpopular , there was an apparent consensus that the U .S . should indeed show that it is not beyond having to use force to stop the expansionist plans of the communists

In 1953 , Dwight D . Eisenhower was elected President . The anti-communist sentiment was particularly rife at that time with Senator McCarthy charging practically everyone of being a communist , and succeeded in spreading fear and conflict throughout the country . In Asia , China was showing signs of aggression against Taiwan which then led to the US pledge of aid to any Southeast Asian Treaty Organization member who has to fight off communist advances . In Latin America , communist influence was equally spreading . In 1959 , on January 1st , Fidel Castro and his guerillas managed to overthrow Fulgencio Batista and the former Prime Minister and newly-elected President Dr . Andres Rivero Aguero (Telzrow 2006

The United States was one of the first countries to acknowledge Castro 's ascendancy through an official note declaring the sincere goodwill of the government of the United States towards the new government (Welch , 1982 ,

. 29 . Shortly thereafter , Philip Bonsal was appointed as the new US Ambassador to Havana . Bonsal was the former ambassador to Bolivia where the Spanish-speaking career diplomat was able to establish a good relationship with the leftist administration

Four months later , in April 1959 , Fidel Castro visited the United States where then Vice President Richard Nixon got to meet him . Nixon unilaterally proclaimed him to be a communist . Castro 's subsequent reforms were radical enough to align Cuba with communist party and collide with the Eisenhower Administration . There was the suspension of free elections , socialization of private business and the confiscation of U .S . property . This was followed by the nationalization of businesses which produced staple products such as milk and milk and by-products sugar , beer , toiletries , textiles...