TIMELINES: Who did Cuban dictator Fidel Castro release from prison Dec. 23, 1962?

Who did Cuban dictator Fidel Castro release from prison Dec. 23, 1962?
TIMELINES: Who did Cuban dictator Fidel Castro release from prison Dec. 23, 1962?
12/23/2011
Updated:
9/29/2015

Friday, Dec. 23, 2011

THEN

On Dec. 23, 1962, Fidel Castro releases to the United States 1,100 prisoners captured during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The prisoners are exchanged for $52 million worth of donated food and medical supplies. The same day, Castro allows an additional 1,000 of the prisoners’ Cuban relatives to also leave the country. The invasion force was made up of Cuban exiles trained and sponsored by the CIA. President Kennedy wanted to keep U.S. involvement a secret and would not allow the U.S. Navy to support the invasion forces even as the troops began to lose ground. The blundered attempt to overthrow the communist regime damages Kennedy’s reputation, but was a boon to Castro. Cubans had been fleeing to the United States because of harsh conditions in Cuba, but the threat of a hostile United States strengthened Cuban’s support for Castro.

NOW

Today, Cuban exiles continue to work for greater freedom in Cuba and to support those still living under the repressive regime. On Dec. 9, on the eve of International Human Rights Day, a group of exiles sailed down to the edge of Cuban territorial waters off the coast of Havana and set off fireworks in coordination with dissidents’ activities on the island to raise awareness about human rights violations in Cuba. This was the 18th year of the symbolic action. Few spectators were out to see the fireworks that overcast night, but the display upset some Cuban government officials who called it an affront to national sovereignty and blamed the Obama administration for not blocking the stunt, AP reported.