logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
8m 56s

Fighting for Castro at the Bay of Pigs

Bbc World Service
About this episode

On April 17 1961 a group of Cuban exiles launched an invasion of communist-ruled Cuba in a failed attempt to topple Fidel Castro. After 72 hours of fighting many of the invaders were captured or killed. Gregorio Moreria was a member of the local communist militia who fought against the US-backed invaders. He was injured and briefly captured during the fighting. He spoke to Mike Lanchin for Witness History in 2016.

(Photo: Members of Castro's militia during the US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion. Credit: Three Lions/Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Japan surrenders in Beijing
Eighty years ago, in the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire.The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Beijing bringing an end to eight years of occupation. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese gen ... Show More
10m 12s
Yesterday
The remote island that was evacuated to 10,000km away
On 10 October 1961, a volcanic eruption threatened the population of Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, and all 264 islanders were evacuated to the UK. Two years later, the majority voted to return. In an interview she gave to the BBC in 1961, M ... Show More
10m 43s
Oct 7
'I designed the Indian rupee symbol'
In 2009, the Indian government launched a national competition to find a design for the Indian rupee.With more than 3,000 entries and five finalists, the winning design was announced on 15 July 2010.The designer was by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, a student at the Industrial Design ... Show More
10m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
174. The Cuban Revolution
It’s 1959 and the swaggering Cuban revolutionary, Fidel Castro, has just overthrown the unpopular American backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Che Guevara, the Marxist physician whose face would become an internationally recognised symbol of resistance, is at his side. But how di ... Show More
58m 59s
Aug 2024
175. The CIA vs Fidel Castro
Following the fall of Batista, the Cuban revolution took a more radical turn. Castro was not a communist to begin with, but as those around him became increasingly Marxist, the CIA’s desire to regain control of the island grew. With the failure of JFK’s Bay of Pigs invasion, even ... Show More
56m 6s
Jun 2025
Introducing: Fidel Castro - Real Dictators
This is a taster episode of the Fidel Castro story. To hear episodes 2-10, head over to Real Dictators and hit follow. Fidel Castro - a revolutionary turned strongman dictator, beloved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies. The bête noire of the United States who pushed th ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 19
Fidel Castro: Cuba’s Cocaine Trafficker-in-Chief?
In 1959, when Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, they wasted no time booting out American business owners, casinos and drug kingpins — much to the delight of US law enforcers. But as time passed, and Castro’s socialist regime sought ever-tric ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 3
The 600 Lives of Fidel Castro
When Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s dictator in 1959, the Communist leader and provocateur quickly became a threat to the U.S. government. The CIA has been proven responsible for at least eight plots against Castro’s life. Despite the creativity of their attempts—including everyth ... Show More
39m 16s
Oct 2024
The Execution of Che Guevara
October 9, 1967. After being captured by Special Forces in the mountains of Bolivia, the iconic Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara is executed. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryD ... Show More
16m 19s
Dec 2024
A New Year, A New Cuba
New Year's Eve, 1958. Cuba's president, Fulgencio Batista, is throwing his annual New Year's Eve party at his home in Havana. It's usually a blowout. But this year, the vibes... aren't so great. Government officials and Cuban elites drink champagne and pick at arroz con pollo as ... Show More
36m 14s
Jul 2024
168. Teddy Roosevelt Takes on the Old World
In 1898, whilst his boss was on a break at the osteopath, Teddy Roosevelt basically started a war. A master of the press, he managed to whip up war fever amongst jingoists in Congress, leading the United States to declare war on imperial Spain. Building on an established independ ... Show More
50m 27s
Aug 16
Saturday Matinee: Real Dictators
On today’s Saturday Matinee, we visit a humble farm in the east of Cuba to witness the early years of Fidel Castro, to see how this man would one day become the country's most revolutionary dictator.Link to Real Dictators: https://www.noiser.com/real-dictatorsSupport the show! Jo ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2025
Death of Che
In 1967, the CIA and Bolivian army joined forces to hunt down revolutionary leader Che Guevara through the Andes mountains. After leaving Cuba, Guevara and a small guerrilla force secretly entered Bolivia, aiming to spark a communist revolution across South America. But as his he ... Show More
37m 17s