Apr. 17, 1962 - Premier Fidel Castro hailed today the failure of the C.I.A.-backed invasion attempt exactly one year ago as “imperialism’s first great and historic defeat in the Americas.” Cuba started a two-day holiday in observance of the victory at the Bay of Pigs, where the invasion effort took place. The holiday will end Thursday with the presentation of battle flags by a visiting Czech Communist army unit to Cuban air force pilots. Soviet helicopters and jet fighters flew over the capital throughout the day with several MIG-17’s crashing the sound barrier to call attention to the aerial acrobatics.
