In 1960, a secret directive set the stage for the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a pivotal National Security Council directive on March 17, 1960, authorizing a covert program to overthrow the Cuban government. This secret order allowed the CIA to recruit and train Cuban exiles for a paramilitary force. While Eisenhower authorized the initial plan, the actual invasion took place under the Kennedy administration a year later.