Johnson Vu

The Bay of Pigs is an infamous event that resulted from the decision of John Fitzgerald
Kennedy, the president of the United States from 1961 to 1963. President Kennedy gave the
approval for the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba on April of 1961. Howard Jones, a College
Professor of History at the University of Alabama, wrote a book based on these events called
The Bay of Pigs. Howard Jones is an American citizen, thus it can inferred that he may be biased
in his work favoring the United States instead of Cuba. His work has gained recognition from
other history authors and professors. A Professor from the University of Colorado by the name of
Robert D. Schulzinger says The Bay of Pigs is a masterful summary of one of the great debacles
of twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy. Another review by an author named Don Bohning
stated that The Bay of Pigs was the best account of the actual event. The book had more
information and more detail than any other according to Bohning. The Bay of Pigs is a
prominent subject that has been written by other authors as well such as Bohning and
Schulzinger whom regarded Jones version as a highly accurate account of what actually
happened during the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Cubas communist
leader Fidel Castro. The reviews tell the audience ahead of time that this book will include
meticulous details of the Bay of Pigs and the various shortcomings in the operation. Jones
research was fairly thorough because he had connections to many sources, including actual CIA
members. Jones work used more primary sources than secondary sources meaning that his work
should largely be factual and original. What drew Jones into writing The Bay of Pigs were the
many mistakes and tragedies during the invasion, so he decided to reconstruct the history of that
event by using primary sources. Essentially, Jones wrote this book for his parents, his wife Mary
Ann, his two daughters Debbie and Shari, and his four grandchildren Tim, Ashley, Lauren,
Tyler, and Katelyn. Jones stated that the intended audience is his family; however it is more
likely addressed to the future generation.
According to the first chapter of the Book, Jones tells the audience that United States
government and CIA are willing go to extreme measures to eliminate anyone who they think is a
threat. Jones pointed out an example of such measures which was when the CIA cowardly
teamed up with the Mafia in order to bring down Castro. He also describes the White house and
CIAs attempt to remove Cubas new regime as amateurish because of the little affect it would
have. Such tactics included making Castros facial hair fall out by placing thallium salts in his
shoes. Ideas similar to this never materialized which left the CIA with the idea of an invasion by
Cuban exiles. All that was needed now was the okay from Kennedy to begin the operation. The
operation did not last long and ended in a complete failure because America did not provide air
support against the Cuban air force which resulted in a complete disaster for the exiled Cuban
troops. This also sparked another event known as the Cuban Missile Crisis because the failed
invasion made it look like America was trying to take down Castros regime. Castro took
advantage of this situation and used it to solidify his power in Cuba. He also requested military
support from the Soviet Union to defend against America and in turn, the Soviet Union sent
Cuba supplies and missiles. This led to the construction of missile bases which brought about the
Cuban missile crisis. In conclusion, one mans foolish decision sparked a chain of unfavorable
events that became a nuisance for America. This serves as a warning, telling the future
generation to avoid repeating the same mistakes.