Bay of Pigs

Read The Bay of Pigs by Howard Jones and write a responsive paper,
with a title page, addressing the following points and questions.

1. What did the author suggest was the reasoning behind JFK’s decision to launch the Bay of
   Pigs invasion?
   Page 6
2. Who was Richard Bissell, what was his background, what other operations, concerning other
   Countries, did he oversee, what was his position in the CIA, and what role did he play in the
   Bay of Pigs invasion?
   Pages 13, 21
3. Castro engaged in what activities that caused some to believe Castro was in fact a
   Communist?
   Page 12
4. What were the two approaches the US considered for regime change in Cuba? What was
   Richard Nixon’s role? To what was Bissell referring when he proposed a “gangster-type
   action”?
   Pages 13 – 15, 21
5. What were the Eisenhower administration’s views on Castro and Cuba, and how did its plans
   evolve? What key administration people were involved with the invasion’s planning?
   Pages 13, 15, 16, 17
6. How did the Soviet Union becom
   the Soviet primer Nikita Khrushchev?
   Page 18
7. As the planning developed for the projected what were the difficulties and issues that
   hindered the operation?
   Pages 33, 34
8. When, apparently, did the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) first conduct a detailed review of
   Operation Trinidad? What were the JCS’s evaluations?
   Pages 49-50
9. What were President Kennedy’s concerns about Project Trinidad? Were these concerns
   military, political (foreign relations), or both?
   Pages 50-51
10. Why did the military refrain from vigorously criticizing the lack of strong air cover, in
    particular, and the overall plan in general?
    Page 51
11. Who was responsible for forcing massive changes to the invasion plan which caused the
    invasion site to be moved?
12. What were the three main points that Bissell either did not mention to President Kennedy,
    or else Bissell discounted as being unimportant concerning the movement of the landing site to
    Zapata?
    Pages 58-60
13. Presidential Advisor Schlesinger warned Kennedy against the invasion. What were his main
    concerns?
    Page 67
14. Who fired the first shot of the invasion, where, and why? Why was this important?
    Page 100
15. What did Castro believe was the key to his defense? Why
    Page 102
16. Most of those who participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion blame whom? Why?
    Page 123
17. What were the failures of the CIA according to the author?
    Page 126
18. According to the author what were Kennedy’s failings in his handling of the invasion?
    Page 127
19. What was the Taylor inquiry, and whom did it blame for the failure at the Bay of Pigs?
    Page 146
20. Disregarding the question of whether the United States should have supported Cuban
    regime change, who, in your opinion, bares most of the responsibility for the failure of the
    operation? Support your argument with quotes from the text.