HAVANA : Remembering Bay of Pigs

Perhaps because Cuba is too broke to celebrate, the 30th anniversary of the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles on Wednesday is likely to pass with little notice. No official plans have been announced to mark the occasion.

In the United States, where the anniversary once drew national politicians and huge crowds to Miami to commiserate with survivors of the ill-fated attempt to oust Fidel Castro, a reunion dinner for the Cuban Brigade is planned for Saturday in Florida’s capital.

The invasion failed when the 1,400-man brigade, left without anticipated U.S. air cover, was surrounded by Castro’s troops. Within days of the landing, Cuba allied itself firmly with the Soviet Union and the new administration of President John F. Kennedy suffered its first and most humiliating defeat.