The Bay of Pigs Disaster

# Stuff You Should Know: The Bay of Pigs Invasion

Josh and Chuck dive deep into one of America's most catastrophic foreign policy blunders—the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. The episode traces how the CIA hatched a plan to overthrow Fidel Castro using Cuban dissidents known as Brigade 2506, and how President Kennedy's last-minute changes to the operation—moving the landing site, reducing air support, and insisting on secrecy—turned a risky operation into a complete disaster. From the bizarre intelligence failures (mistaking coral reefs for seaweed) to the ironic fact that the invasion actually pushed Castro closer to the Soviet Union, this is a masterclass in how good intentions and Cold War panic can combine to create one of the biggest blunders in U.S. history.