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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…
in Washington, Carlos Alejos, the brother of Roberto
Alejos. y*
Portents of things to come followed shortly
after Esterline's first meeting with Roberto Alejos.
On 8 June 1960, Alejos, as he had indicated in his
initial meeting with Davis and Esterline, was in the
United States where he met with Esterline. Among .the
subjects discussed, in addition to the utilization of
Guatemalan territory for the training of anti-Castro
Cubans, Alejos said that he would be taking a look
at the airstrip at Retalhuleu to see if it was capable
of handling C-54 aircraft. Construction and renova-
tion of this airstrip would later give rise to both
some intra-agency squabbles and also some strain in
the relationships between the Agency and Alejos.
At this time, too, Alejos was very much concerned
about the United States ambassador to the OAS, John
Dryer, who, according to Alejos, was pressing the GOG
* Carlos Alejos apparently was appointed US ambassa-
dor a short time prior to Esterline's meeting with
Ydigo~as and Roberto Alejos. A cable to the Department
from Guatemala City on 18 May 1960 noted that Carlos
Alejos "Ambassador-designate to the US" would arrive
in New Orleans on 25 May 60. 4a/
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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.