Berlin Crisis and the Bay of Pigs

During the 1950s Cuba's government faced a drastic change. A group of rebels led by Fidel Castro wanted to take down current dictator Fulgencio Batista. Once in power Castro publicly stated his goal to improve Cuban conditions. The United States although skeptical respected the new government, until Castro provoked the US by nationalizing US owned oil refineries and sugar plantations. This combined with an increased dependence on Soviet Aid started to worry the Eisenhower Administration.




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The close proximity of Cuba's communist government to the United States heightened Cold War Tensions.

With Castro also started exiling his opponents to the United States, which gave birth to the Cuba counterrevolution movement. In early 1960, Dwight D. Eisenhower allowed the CIA to invade Cuba with Cuban exiles. Eisenhower and the CIA wanted to catalyze a massive uprising against Castro which would overthrow the Communist government. When Kennedy was elected, he was nervous but approved what Eisenhower had started. On April 17, 1961 the plan began. Nothing went correctly since Cuba knew about what the US thought would be a surprise attack. The Cubans outnumbered the relatively poorly equipped Cuban Exiles, and the US forces had to surrender. Although the US was embarrassed on a world scale, Kennedy's popularity soared when he publicly took the blame.



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Lines of Cuban exiles who were captured in the failed invasion of Cuba


In Germany, the US and USSR found another battleground, Berlin. Over 3 million Berliners had left East Germany through West Berlin, located in the heart of the Soviet German sector. Many of those who left held prominent jobs and were of consierable intelligence. This so called "brain drain" led USSR leader Khrushchev to propose cutting off West Berlin from West Germany, which Kennedy was adamently opposed to. Kennedy spoke to the US and told them as a nation that they must have access to West Berlin so it does not fall into Soviet hands. The US had superior nucler abilities so instead of cutting off West Berlin from West Germany, Khruschev put up the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin to stop the flow of Germans into West Germany. This wall started as Barbed wire and was later constructed as a large concrete wall with a death zone filled with landmines. This resolution was relieving to Kennedy as he did not have to go to war and the Soviets were pleased with their plan.



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This photo was taken during the initial construction of the Berlin Wall.