Explain how the Bay of Pigs invasion could have been more successful.

Expert Answers
Ashley Kannan eNotes educator| Certified Educator

There are several ways to approach this question.  One obvious way would be to simply not have been involved in covert activity in Cuba. Given the disaster of the Bay of Pigs, perhaps more success could have been present had the initiative not taken place.  As Che Guevara himself noted, "[Before Bay of Pigs] the revolution was weak."  After the failed invasion, Guevara remarked that,"Now its [the revolution] is stronger than ever."  I think that the failed invasion did more to benefit Cuba than the United States.  Yet, having said this, I think that the covert nature of the invasion was probably one of the reasons it was unsuccessful.  Attempting to operate in the shadows contributed to the lack of communication and overall transparency in goals, purpose, and execution.  Perhaps the endeavor could have been more efficient had it just been out in the open.  The United States diplomatic wing would have had to take the position that it sought to remove Castro and would do so by any means necessary.  Perhaps, multinational action could have helped in this endeavor, as we are seeing now in Libya with the attempts at removal for Colonel Ghadafi.  In the same light, simply being more declarative and less covert about the operation might have helped its success.