 In April 1961 , a 1 @,@ 400 @-@ man force of Cuban exiles invaded Cuba in an attempt to end the regime of Fidel Castro . The invasion was a failure and two @-@ hundred of the exiles were killed while an additional 1 @,@ 200 were captured . Miskovsky , working with lawyer and lead negotiator James Donovan , and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy , negotiated a release for the prisoners in return for around fifty million dollars in medicine , food and other supplies . The captured Cubans were released days before Christmas . 
