1961 invasion aimed to overthrow Castro and ended in a disaster for the U.S.?

• A. Bay of Pigs Invasion
• B. Operation Mongoose
• C. Cuban Missile Crisis
• D. Cuban Revolution

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the failure of a U.S.-backed attempt to topple Fidel Castro in 1961. In April 1961, CIA-trained Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs with hopes of sparking an uprising against Castro. The plan depended on covert U.S. support, including air cover, but it quickly unraveled as Castro’s forces overwhelmed the invaders and the promised backing failed to materialize as needed. The operation ended in a defeat that embarrassed the United States and strengthened Castro’s grip on Cuba, pushing the country closer to the Soviet Union and helping set the stage for future Cold War crises.

Other events listed don’t fit the description: the Cuban Missile Crisis was a 1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba, not an invasion to overthrow Castro; the Cuban Revolution refers to the 1959 overthrow of Batista, not a failed U.S. invasion; and Operation Mongoose was a later covert campaign aimed at destabilizing Cuba rather than an outright invasion.