Ex-Adversaries Meet in Cuba to Discuss Bay of Pigs Invasion
Former Cold War adversaries strolled together Saturday along the beaches where an exile force suffered a disastrous defeat 40 years ago in the invasion known as the Bay of Pigs.
Alfredo Duran, one of the exiles trained by the CIA, stared out at the water and said: “It is very emotional to be on this beach, where a lot of my friends died, where a lot of people died on the other side.”
More than 1,000 invaders were captured. An additional 100 invaders and 151 defenders died.
At the close of a three-day conference studying the April 1961 invasion, Duran joined other exiles, ex-CIA operatives, former assistants to President Kennedy and retired Cuban military commanders in a visit to the beaches.
The former Cold War adversaries said in a brief statement that they hoped that their encounter would “serve as a model to continue the expansion of a dialogue about this and other important themes in the prolonged conflict between the United States and Cuba.”
Jose Ramon Fernandez, now a vice president in Havana’s government, led the defending forces on the beach in 1961. He said Saturday’s meeting turned out better than expected. “We have had a very useful dialogue here, with mutual respect,” he said.
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