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…
Prior to his first meeting with Somoza on
8 December 1960, Robertson did meet with Pallais on
7 December 1960, to make arrangements for the session
with Somoza. 28/. The delicate situation in which
Robertson found himself is quite evident from the
questions which were put to him by Pallais in his
initial meeting. The President's cousin pointed out
that Somoza would be pushing for a promise that "we
would back him, if and when he was caught in the act,"
and Robertson was faced with a similar question during
his session with Somoza. Rip straddled the line very
carefully and pointed out in all instances that he could
only express his own personal opinion and make quite
sure that the Nicaraguans understood that he had no
official verification that Somoza would be supported
in case of difficulties with other member states of
(President Luis Somoza], ~ l(Gen-
eral Anastasio Somoza], and [Noel
Pallais de Bayle], which he has memorized.
This has been done for his own and opera-
tional security. Hereafter c::::::::J will re-
ceive CADICK's finished reports sealed
in an envelope." 27/
- 118/
TOPJEeRET

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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.