John F. Kennedy´s Role in Toppling Fidel Castro - 582 Words

John F. Kennedy (JFK) first duty as president was to topple the Cuban Leader, Fidel Castro (Matthews, 1996, p. 197). CIA deputy director, Richard Bissell, briefed JFK on the plans to invade Castro homeland. JFK main concern was that the operation was not to create an international chaos but the CIA thought differently. They thought chaos was what was needed to change an invasion into a revolution against Castro and the complete elimination of the Cuban air force (Matthews, 1996, p.196). JFK was not willing to invest a lot of resources and take huge risk of sending a lot of U.S. troops into Castro homeland because the small commando units kept getting caught. The CIA urged Kennedy to send in more troops but he was worried about Moscow’s reaction to the attack and called off the strip in Cuba, thereby giving the invasion the possible cover of being a covert act by Cuban defectors. Kennedy rejected the plea, believing that the invasion did not justify the risk of a Soviet cou ntermove in West Berlin. He thought a confrontation could trigger a nuclear war between them (Matthew, 1996, p. 197). Since JFK first job as president was a fiasco, people actually witnessed the president in tears. He had backed a military effort that required greater resources than he was ready to give and commit. He was embarrassed that they had lost the first fight with the communism in the Third World. The humiliation contributed to his determination not to lose in South Vietnam War (Roskin Show MoreRelatedFidel Castro And The Cuban Revolution1517 Words   |  7 Pages In 1959 Fidel Castro attempted to overthrow dictator Fulgencio Batista; Castro led a revolutionary movement in a guerrilla war against Batista s forces. As anti-Batista sentiment grew, Castro took a leading role in the Cuban Revolution which eventually ousted the president.(Stevenson 118)Once in power, Castro nationalized American property and because of this the United States diplomatic relations with Cuba wer e cut in 1961. Even prior to the break in relations, President Eisenhower agreed to