Documents / FOIA release
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.
“King”13 pages
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.