April 17, 1961: US-Backed Guerrillas Invade Cuba via the Bay of Pigs

April 17, 1961: US-Backed Guerrillas Invade Cuba via the Bay of Pigs

April 17, 1961: US-Backed Guerrillas Invade Cuba via the Bay of Pigs

“If they fail,” The Nation warned many months in advance, “the United States will lose face in an almost irreparable way.”

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Just beneath an editorial titled “Mr. Kennedy’s Opportunity,” heralding and welcoming the election of JFK as the country’s 35th president in November of 1960, The Nation published a brief article citing evidence provided by Stanford professor Ronald Hilton that the US was training Cuban exiles in the forests of Guatemala. The article, as well as another editorial in January of 1961, were almost entirely ignored by the mainstream press. File this one, with our March 11 entry on the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011, under “Hate to Say We Told You So.”

Cuban history is full of filibustering expeditions from the United States which have failed. Even though we may arm the anti-Castro groups to the teeth, we have no guarantee that they will succeed militarily. If they fail, the United States will lose face in an almost irreparable way.

April 17, 1961

An urgent message from the Editors

As the editors of The Nation, it’s not usually our role to fundraise. Today, however, we’re putting out a special appeal to our readers, because there are only hours left in 2025 and we’re still $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000. We need you to help close this gap. 

Your gift to The Nation directly supports the rigorous, confrontational, and truly independent journalism that our country desperately needs in these dark times.

2025 was a terrible year for press freedom in the United States. Trump launched personal attack after personal attack against journalists, newspapers, and broadcasters across the country, including multiple billion-dollar lawsuits. The White House even created a government website to name and shame outlets that report on the administration with anti-Trump bias—an exercise in pure intimidation.

The Nation will never give in to these threats and will never be silenced. In fact, we’re ramping up for a year of even more urgent and powerful dissent. 

With the 2026 elections on the horizon, and knowing Trump’s history of false claims of fraud when he loses, we’re going to be working overtime with writers like Elie Mystal, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Jeet Heer, Kali Holloway, Katha Pollitt, and Chris Lehmann to cut through the right’s spin, lies, and cover-ups as the year develops.

If you donate before midnight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor. We hope you’ll make our work possible with a donation. Please, don’t wait any longer.

In solidarity,

The Nation Editors

Ad Policy
x