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| Cuban exiles made prisoners by Castro's men after the invasion failure |
Cuban exiles from Brigade 2506 were killed in action, and some of the survivors were made prisoners : wounded and sick prisoners were freed and transported to the USA, but hundreds of prisoners were executed by the Cuban government after a short trial !
In May 1961, Fidel Castro proposed to exchange the remaining survivors for 500 large farm tractors, valued at US $28 million. An agreement was finally found and 1, 113 prisoners were exchanged for US $53 million in food and medicine, sourced from private donations.
On 29 March 1962, 1,179 Cuban exiles were put on trial for treason. They were sentenced to 30 years in prison.
On 29 December 1962, President Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline attended a
"welcome back" ceremony for Brigade 2506 veterans at the Orange Bowl in
Miami, Florida.
Many who fought for the CIA in the conflict (and were rescued by American airplanes after the invasion failure) remained loyal to the USA : some Bay of Pigs veterans became officers in the US Army in Vietnam !
