Documents / FOIA release

Official History of the Bay of Pigs Operation- Volume 2- Part 1

Central Intelligence Agency · 179 pages · text from the file's own layer

This is Volume II, Part 1 of the CIA History Staff's Official History of the Bay of Pigs Operation, a Top Secret history dated October 1979 and approved for release in July 2011. It looks at how the Agency took part in shaping US foreign policy toward Guatemala and Nicaragua during the anti-Castro program. It covers dealings with President Ydigoras Fuentes and Roberto Alejos, training sites such as Retalhuleu, cover stories, and negotiations with the Somoza brothers for an air base and port. It contains no UFO material.

  • p. 71 …formalized (16 November 1960), then J. C. King, Chief, Western Hemisphere Division, prepared a memorandum for…
  • p. 76 …C. King, "J. C., this kind of ... " "No, no," he said. "I don't think I…
  • p. 88 …however, was prepared by Colonel J. C. King, Chief, WH Division, not by Thomas A. Parrott…
  • p. 89 …King must have ignored Esterline's warning; but the DCI failed to support King's Plan…
  • p. 117 …of State of the trip and Col. King had informed Thomas Mann. 9/*. In a meeting…
  • p. 120 …to Chief, WH Division (Col. J. C. King) that Robertson be brought into the JMARC program…
  • p. 138 …discuss Project JMATE with President Somoza. Col. King, in speaking of Whelan r~marked as follows…
  • p. 160 …2. Memo for DCI from J. C. King, 29 Feb 60, sub: What We Are Doing…
  • p. 163 …35. Memo for DCI from J. C. King, 21 Oct 60, sub: Observations on Briefing of…
  • p. 167 …TRAV. Memo for DDP from J. C. King, 28 Oct 60, sub: Employment of U.S…
  • p. 169 …10 Jan 61. MR from J. C. King, 11 Jan 61, sub: Meeting to Discuss Proposed…
  • p. 173 …Irving G. CADICK (P) from J. C. King, 2 Dec 60, sub: Letter of Instruction. Ibid…
  • p. 175 …IN 1797). 42. Memo from J. C. King for DCI, 19 Jan 61, sub: Visit of…
communicators, and Cubans were ordered to go to TRAV.
The Agency was to provide two bilingual advisers to
be in attendance at La Suiza when the Congressmen came
through on their inspection. Moreover, a halt was
called on all incoming flights to JMADD until further
notice. ~~
That Ydigoras was expecting some domestic diffi-
culties was apparent in a cable from c=J to Headquarters
reading: "GOG request andD concurs immediate air-
shipment 500 to 1,000 tear gas grenades for use control
possible mob activities next few days." This went for-
ward to Headquarters on 19 April 1961, 87/*
The Agency also displayed considerable concern
for its commitment to the Ydigoras government in the
period following the collapse of the invasion; and
early in May, in response to Ydigoras's request that
the Agency continue to support the training activity
for a Guatemalan Special Battalion until the end of
* In anticipation of possible difficulties from his
political opposition, Ydigoras had requested that c==J
make inquiries about the possibility of obtaining. a
100-man pack for caching. It is not known, however,
if these weapons were obtained, even though a number
of such packs reached Florida between 17 March 1961
and 17 April 1961. 88/
- 92/
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 179 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.