In 1959, Fidel Castro took control of Cuba. The United States government did not trust him. They worried he was too close to the Soviet Union. So the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, came up with a secret scheme. They would train Cuban exiles to invade the island. These were people who had left Cuba. They wanted their old government back. On April 17, 1961, about 1,400 fighters landed at the Bay of Pigs. That was a beach on Cuba's southern coast. But almost nothing went as planned. Castro's forces knew they were coming. Cuban planes destroyed the supply ships. The fighters had no food, no extra ammunition, and no way to escape. Within three days, most of them were captured. The failed invasion was a huge embarrassment for President John F. Kennedy. He had approved the plan shortly after taking office. Kennedy learned that even powerful countries cannot guarantee success when they use force in secret.