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. 16 …According to Esterline's report of the meeting "it was never said in so many words…
  • p. 31 …DPD planned to have the SALA representa- tive, who had never been cleared by the Agency…
  • p. 34 …The communications officer whom Alejos had declared to be "under arrest" was never technically arrested and…
  • p. 53 …We never were informed of KIA or wounded counts. We did hear that a couple of…
  • p. 55 …round Guatemala for years and we have never seen Guatemalan pilots fly or shoot with the…
  • p. 64 …emphatically * Delivery of the ~ight B-26's was never made to the Government of Guatemala.
  • p. 75 …Ydigoras said, "that piece of paper will never be exposed," and it hasn't to my…
  • p. 76 …young man I said, "Well, we're never going to get this thing going unless somebody…
  • p. 106 …Venezuela, have made many friendly noises but never once have made a firm offer of real…
  • p. 138 …the project "until Castro's defeat" was never officially made to either President Somoza or President…
  • p. 147 …they were on the ships they would never return to Nicaragua. With reference to the air…
  • p. 153 …68/* * The Agency's relations with Nicaragua also became \ somewhat strained because Miro Cardona was never…
TOP ~RET
most likely available site outside CONUS was in Nica-
ragua.
B. Initiation· of Discussions with President Somoza
Puerto Cabezas on the northeastern coast of
Nicaragua lies approximately 650 miles due south of
Havana. During WWII, Puerto Cabezas had been developed
as one of the principal airfields in that country; and
despite having fallen into some disrepair, it nonethe-
less looked like the most feasible site for launching
air activities against Castro.* On 13 June 1960, less
than three months following Eisenhower's decision to\ ,
act against Castro, I .. I .
__________ 1 Louis P. Napoli, had made arrangements to talk
privately with President Somoza about Central American
politics with particular emphasis on Cuban activities
in the area. At this first meeting, President Somoza
made it quite clear that he needed assurances that the
United States Government would back whatever actions
or operations were to be put in motion to the end of
overthrowing Castro. !I
* On 10 December 1960, the Puerto Cabezas facility
was assigned the crypt JMTIDE.
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TorrRET

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About this file

FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 179 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.