Introduction

Between 1953 and 1959, the tiny island of Cuba went through a massive change. A sprawling Caribbean getaway for the rich and famous from America, Cuba fell into turmoil... turmoil in the name of communist revolution.

Gone was the leader who was friendly with the US. Gone were the glitzy hotels and nightclubs where American actors, politicians, and mobsters would meet over drinks and enjoy the warm, tropical air.

In their place stood revolutionary turned leader Fidel Castro, a devout communist and staunch anti-American.

In 1961, at the urging of his joint chiefs, newly elected American President John F. Kennedy sanctioned an invasion to overthrow the Cuban regime and take back the island. Consisting of CIA operatives and Cuban exiles, the invasion force left Florida and with hopes of crushing Castro and inciting the island to once again join in revolution overthrowing the government.

The invasion failed and left America in a precarious spot, with a communist nation now only 90 miles off of its coast. On top of this, the young President, JFK, lost massive amounts of respect around the world.

This situation also set the stage for one of the tensest moments in history as the United States and U.S.S.R. came within miles of war... a war that would have likely been nuclear.

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