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. 14 …an anti-Castro program before Chief JMATE, Jacob D. Esterline, and I Robert K. Davis, met…
  • p. 54 …Batres. !±i/ Jacob D. Esterline, Chief of J~ARC project had some subsequent conversation with the…
  • p. 160 …Memo for Record from Jacob D. Esterline, 20 Jun 60, sub: Negotiations with President Miguel Ydigoras…
  • p. 163 …20 Oct 60. 36. Oral History Interview: Jacob O. Esterline by Jack B. Pfeiffer, 10-11…
  • p. 166 …to the Sec Def, OSO from Jacob D. Esterline, 16 Nov 60, sub: Emergency Evacua~ tion…
  • p. 168 …Memo for Asst~ Sec Def OSO from Jacob D. Esterline, 5 Jan 61, sub: Requirement for…
  • p. 170 …MR from Jacob D. Esterline, 5 Apr 61, sub: Meet- ing with Adolph sic A. Berle…
  • p. 171 …MR from Jacob D. Esterline,S Apr 61, sub: Meeting with Adolph sic A. Berle. 14…
  • p. 173 …Memo for Record from Jacob D. Esterline, 24 Oct 60, sub: Meeting withDCI and Assistant Secretary…
  • p. 174 …Memo for DDP/EMB from Jacob D. Esterline, 6 Dec 60, sub: Four JMARC Problems for…
TOP FRET
subsequent matters involving the CIA.* Esterline in-
cidentally, had been the senior officer in the Head-
quarters end of the operation which had forced the
resignation and ouster of President Arbenz in 1954.
During the first meetings with Alejos and Ydigoras
in Guatemala City on 30 and 31 May 1960, plans were
initiated for the use of a portion of Alejos's coffee
plantation -- Finca Helvetia -- as a communications
training site; and discussions were held concerning
additional sites for the training of paramilitary
candidates.
At the same time, it was made clear to Ydigoras
that the Agency sponsored Cuban exile organization,
the Frente Revolucionario Democratico (FRD), would
nominally be responsible for whatever training activ-
ities of Cubans, took place in Guatemala. The names
of Antonio Varona and Justo Carrillo were given to
President Ydigoras and Robert Alejos as two of the
* Eisenhower's anti-Castro program was dated 17 March
1960. CIA's anti-Castro effort was located within the
Western Hemisphere Division, Branch 4 (WH/4). Initially
WH/4 was given the crypt JMARC; but when this was com-
promised, the crypt was changed to JMATE. Throughout
this history, except when direct quotations are given,
the term JMATE is used.

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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.