Ep 5. Desert One/The Bay Of Pigs

The Cold War season 1 episode 5, titled "Desert One/The Bay of Pigs" explores two immense failures of American foreign policy and military intervention in the Middle East and Latin America, respectively.

The first half of the episode, "Desert One," explores the American attempt to rescue hostages in Iran during the 1980 hostage crisis. The mission was code-named "Operation Eagle Claw" and it was the top-secret plan to clandestinely insert US military personnel into Iran and conduct a covert operation to free the hostages. This ambitious plan included landing US troops and equipment at an abandoned desert airstrip, then flying to Tehran to rescue the hostages. However, the mission was plagued with issues from the outset. A series of mishaps, including equipment failure and an unexpected encounter with Iranian military forces, culminated in a catastrophic accident that led to the deaths of eight US servicemen. The operation was ultimately aborted, and the hostages remained in captivity for another several months before their eventual release.

The second part of the episode, "The Bay of Pigs," delves into the disastrous American-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961. The invasion was a part of a covert CIA operation meant to overthrow Fidel Castro and his Communist regime. In April of that year, a group of Cuban exiles, known as Brigade 2506, landed on the beaches of the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. However, the operation was a complete failure. The exiles were outnumbered and outgunned by Castro's forces, and the invasion quickly devolved into a bloody battle. The US government had promised air support to the exiles, but that support never materialized. The failure of the operation was a huge embarrassment for the US government, who had hoped to topple the Communist regime and prevent the spread of Soviet influence in the Western Hemisphere.

The episode shows how both of these initiatives represented significant miscalculations and strategic errors on the part of the American government. Operation Eagle Claw overestimated the capabilities of the US military, and relied on faulty assumptions about Iranian military capabilities and readiness. The Bay of Pigs was a poorly-planned and-executed operation conducted under a veil of secrecy that prevented a proper assessment of the risks involved. Both struggles revealed a lack of consideration for the local populations in the areas where American foreign policy was exerting itself.

Overall, the episode serves as a cautionary tale for policymakers who underestimate the potential consequences of their actions overseas. While they may have good intentions, poorly-planned foreign interventions can often have catastrophic consequences. Ultimately, both Desert One and The Bay of Pigs were emblematic of America's flawed Cold War strategy, and the difficulties of achieving success through foreign intervention.