Saturday, March 11, 1961: U.S. plans for invasion of Cuba

President Kennedy meets with leading civilian and military officials to discuss a U.S.-led plan to topple the government of Cuba's Fidel Castro. (The plan had been set in motion by President Eisenhower on March 17, 1960; click here for entry.) While the details of the plan were secret, the overall goal was not: On January 10, The New York Times had published an article with the headline "U.S. Helps Train an Anti-Castro Force at Secret Guatemalan Air-Ground Base; Clash With Cuba Feared." During the March 11 meeting, Kennedy requested changes in the plan; at a second meeting on March 15, it was agreed that the invasion would take place at The Bay of Pigs.

* Details of meetings (from the book "John F. Kennedy: A Biography"): @

* Details of meetings (from the book "A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House"): @

* Details of meetings (from the book "The Bay of Pigs: Cuba 1961"): @

* National Security Action Memorandum No. 31 (from jfklibrary.org): @

* Government documents in days before and after meetings: @ and @

(from "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963 -- Volume X, Cuba, 1961-1962")

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