The Perfect Failure - April 17, 1961

from The Daily History Chronicle · host Richard G Backus

On April 17, 1961, sixty-five years ago today, 1,400 Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs and walked into one of the most perfectly constructed disasters in American history. The CIA called it the Perfect Failure. But the real story isn't about Cuba, it’s about what happens when smart people are too afraid to say what they know, and who pays the price when they don't. With the United States once again focused on Cuba in 2026, the lessons of that beach have never been more urgent.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 17, 2026

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The Perfect Failure - April 17, 1961

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