The Berlin Crisis and the Bay of Pigs

The Berlin crisis was the zenith of a growing conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union over the status of Berlin. After WW2, Berlin was partitioned much as the rest of the country. The Soviets controlled the Eastern side, while the Allied Powers controlled the Western Side of the city. The difference was, Berlin was deep inside Soviet territory, and depended on supplies from Allied groups. Soon after the war, the main border between East and West Germany was closed to common traffic, cutting off an escape route for many East German’s. However, the border between East and West Berlin remained open, which gave many communist citizens a way to get to West Germany, and safety. East German’s flooded through Berlin, on their way to the west. 3.5 million people, 20% of the total population of East Germany left communism. So many of the exits were by skilled professionals, doctors, engineers, lawyers, that East Germany was experiencing a brain drain. All the educated were fleeing the country, and few people were replacing them. It was an extremely embarrassing situation for the East German government. The Soviet Premier issued an ultimatum to Kennedy, demanding the Allies withdraw all their forces from Berlin, and turn it over to the Soviets. The US and USSR negotiated, but neither was willing to move. Their relations were strained further by the U2 Spy Incidents. Both countries were building up their military forces, and looked to be set for war. The Soviet government broke several treaties by sending military into East Berlin, and constructing the Berlin wall. Kennedy refused demands to tear down the wall by force. He knew the wall was a way for the crisis to be resolved, without fighting. The wall satisfied communists, who no longer faced a brain drain, and was a huge propaganda coup for the Allies, who could claim the wall embodied communism, and government oppression. The Berlin crisis was defused, and prevented massive conventional, and even nuclear war in Europe.

The Bay of Pigs debacle was one of Kennedy’s biggest blunders. Before Kennedy became President, the communist uprising of Fidel Castro had toppled the pro-US government there. Eisenhower was furious at the failure of containment. He set about planning the eventual overthrow of Castro, using Cuban Exiles as an army. He gave the operation the go-ahead right before he left office. The CIA helped to train 2,000 Cuban exiles into a fighting force in camps around South America. The US clandestinely gave the exiles weapons, planes, and tanks to use in their fight. The Cubans had already learned of the invasion before hand, from KGB spies in the United States. The Invasion was an abject failure. The exiles were slaughtered on the beach, and their aircraft were shot down. 200 of them were killed, and 1800 more captured. The failure was an extreme embarrassment to Kennedy and the US government. The CIA made several key intelligence failures that contributed to the plan not succeeding. Kennedy looked stupid, and weak, and admitted responsibility on national TV, one of the few presidents who ever admitted a mistake of such magnitude. The invasion helped strengthen Castro’s government, and was a propaganda coup for Cuba and the Soviets. Both groups made plans to incite more communist uprisings across the world.