Military Resources: Bay of Pigs Invasion & Cuban Missile Crisis

NARA Resources

50th Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Video of a panel discussion about "the steps leading to the Bay of Pigs and the lessons learned by the Kennedy administration."

The 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis
In this video, "Historians, journalists and policy makers reflected on the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis, how it was resolved, and how lessons learned can be applied to the nuclear challenges facing us today."

The Bay of Pigs
Website from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library describing the invasion. Links to documents are included.

Clouds over Cuba: The Cuban Missile Crisis and What Might Have Been
An interactive documentary commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, produced by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and The Martin Agency.

Cuban Missile Crisis Chronology
From the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, a timeline of events.

Forty Years Ago: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Prologue article marking the fortieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Leaders in Crisis: President John F. Kennedy - Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
Online exhibit from NARA's Eyewitness: American Originals.

One Step from Nuclear War: The Cuban Missile Crisis at 50: In Search of Historical Perspective
Prologue article by Martin J. Sherwin.

Report to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board on Intelligence Community Activities Relating to the Cuban Arms Build-Up (14 April through 14 October 1962) by the Director of Central Intelligence
Digitized version of the declassified report by the CIA.

The World on the Brink: John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis: Thirteen Days in October 1962
Online exhibit from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library that describes the most dangerous confrontation of the Cold War one day at a time.

Other Resources

The 32nd Guards Air Fighter Regiment in Cuba (1962-1963)
The story of one of the USSR's Air Force units serving in Cuba at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Bay of Pigs: 40 Years After
The National Security Archive site provides a thorough history of the Bay of Pigs invasion with links to full-text documents and audio recordings.

Bay of Pigs Invasion
A video lecture from the Khan Academy.

Bay of Pigs Reports
The CIA's Frequently Requested Records includes the Bay of Pigs Reports on high-level government self-evaluation of its performance in an historic and controversial event.

CIA Documents on the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962
A .pdf version of a 1992 print book containing a large selection of declassified documents on the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Includes intelligence reports, briefing papers, and materials related to Operation MONGOOSE, a program aimed at destabilizing the Castro regime.

The CIA's Internal Probe of the Bay of Pigs Affair
This article by Michael Warner focuses on the CIA inquiry into the government's handling of the Cuban Bay of Pigs operation.

Cuban Missile Crisis
A video lecture from the Khan Academy.

Cuban Missile Crisis
The Avalon Project's collection of documents related to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis
"Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs has created this website as a resource on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962."

Cuban Missile Crisis
The National Security Agency provides digitized documents related to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
This site from Georgetown University offers an introduction to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Includes a chronology of the events, a glossary of selected important terms, and photographs relating to the event.

Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
From the Naval Historical Center's Frequently Asked Questions page, this site is a basic outline of the events of the fall of 1962, focusing on the Navy's role in the Crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: The 40th Anniversary
The site from the National Security Archive at George Washington University provides documents, audio clips, a timeline, and analysis

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962: Presenting the Photographic Evidence Abroad
This Center for the Study of Intelligence article reveals the reason behind U.S. actions in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis Bibliography
Annotated bibliography from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues.

Cuban Missile Crisis Interactive
Interactive lesson plan from Edsitement.

Cuban Missile Crisis: Three Men Go To War
A documentary produced by PBS.

Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy: Cuban Missile Crisis
A bibliography of full-text links to official documents relating to the Bay of Pigs.

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963: Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath
From the Government Printing Office and Department of State, this volume of FRUS compiles documents relating to the Kennedy Administration and its handling of the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963: Kennedy-Khrushchev Exchanges
From the Government Printing Office and Department of State, this volume of FRUS "presents the complete correspondence between President Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev."

The Man Who Saved the World
This episode from PBS tells the story of Vasili Arkhipov, Soviet submarine B-59, and one of the most dangerous events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

New Evidence on the Cuban Missile Crisis: More Documents from the Russian Archives
This Cold War International History Project article presents translated materials from the Russian Foreign Ministry Archives in Moscow.

No Time to Talk: The Cuban Missile Crisis
A day by day description of the confrontation, including documents and a bibliography.

Robert Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis: A Reinterpretation
Analysis of Attorney General Robert Kennedy's role in the Cuban Missile Crisis by Mark White.

The Ultrasensitive Bay of Pigs
Portions of Taylor Commission Report provide critical details on Operation Zapata. Edited by Peter Kornbluh.

United Nations: Cuban Missile Crisis Debate, 1962
From the Modern History Sourcebook at Fordham University, this site is a transcript of the debate between Adlai Stevenson and V. A. Zorin in the United Nations Security Council, October 23, 1962.