Summary of Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president in 1961. He was young and optimistic, and he projected that he was ready to chart a new course for his country and the world. He wanted to pass the torch of moral leadership to Frost, who wrote a poem specifically for the inauguration.

#2 Kennedy’s vision was to create a new America, based on liberty, that would be brought into being through the dedication and sacrifice of American citizens. He promised Latin American countries to convert our good words into good deeds and form a new alliance against poverty.

#3 The American government entered the Cuban conflict in 1898 to protect the independence of Latin American countries, but also to extend American borders to include Cuba. By far the most trusted American ally in the Cuban presidential office was General Fulgencio Batista, who served as president from 1940 to 1944.

#4 The Castro brothers were released in May 1955, and began a new revolt against Batista in November 1956. They landed illegally on a leaky yacht, the Granma, to start a new revolution. The guerrilla warfare that would eventually bring down Batista began with a major setback. Government troops attacked the Granma rebels soon after their landing, forcing them to seek refuge in the Sierra Maestra mountains of Oriente province, in southeastern Cuba.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669364399

IRB Media

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Book preview

Insights on Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president in 1961. He was young and optimistic, and he projected that he was ready to chart a new course for his country and the world. He wanted to pass the torch of moral leadership to Frost, who wrote a poem specifically for the inauguration.

#2

Kennedy’s vision was to create a new America, based on liberty, that would be brought into being through the dedication and sacrifice of American citizens. He promised Latin American countries to convert our good words into good deeds and form a new alliance against poverty.

#3

The American government entered the Cuban conflict in 1898 to protect the independence of Latin American countries, but also to extend American borders to include Cuba. By far the most trusted American ally in the Cuban presidential office was General Fulgencio Batista, who served as president from 1940 to 1944.

#4

The Castro brothers were released in May 1955, and began a new revolt against Batista in November 1956. They landed illegally on a leaky yacht, the Granma, to start a new revolution. The guerrilla warfare that would eventually bring down Batista began with a major setback. Government troops attacked the Granma rebels soon after their landing, forcing them to seek refuge in the Sierra Maestra mountains of Oriente province, in southeastern Cuba.

#5

The Cuban revolution had succeeded, but what that meant was not yet clear. Direct American investment increased during the first year of Castro’s rule, but that changed quickly as the government embarked on badly needed agrarian reform.

#6

The CIA had been planning to invade Cuba since 1960, and in March 1961, Kennedy was still debating whether or not to go through with the plan. He was caught between conflicting agendas: wanting to stop the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere, but also wanting to improve US-Soviet relations.

#7

On April 15, eight B-26 bombers painted in the colors of the Cuban air force took off from airstrips in Nicaragua and headed for Cuban airfields, where they were supposed to destroy Castro’s air force. The raid was a success, but many of Castro’s planes remained undamaged.

#8

On April 16, the landing of Brigade 2506 began at multiple locations on the island. In the early hours of April 17, four transport ships approached Playa Girón in the Bay of Pigs. They were in for a major surprise: the remote location of the landing failed to ensure its secrecy. A Cuban radio operator broadcast news of the invasion before his unit was overtaken by the brigade.

#9

On April 17, Kennedy was back at the White House, keeping his regular schedule of official meetings and meals. He refused a request from the CIA to use now camouflaged American bombers to support the struggling troops on the Cuban beaches.

#10

The Bay of Pigs invasion was a disaster for Kennedy, who was unable to deliver on the air support promised to the invaders. The invasion