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. 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…
success of the project materially jeopard-
ized if payment is delayed. 3. Copies
of legal documents will be forwarded Head-
quarters with the receipt. 30/
Despite the fact that the $100,000 was supposed
to make the finca roadway and the 17 kilometers pass-
able during the rainy season, an engineering report
indicated that the steep grade was washing out the
ballast and the road would need to be paved. Thompson~
Cornwall, the engineering outfit which had restored
Retalhuleu, had given an estimate of $185,000 to do
the job. Alejos had tried to raise the difference
between the $100,000 Headquarters had approved and the
total contract price, but had been unable to· do so.
A cable of 25 Nov 60 from Guatemala indicated that
_________Imight be able to make a deal with Alejos for
less than the full contract price and requested that
he be authorized to offer a maximum of $130,000. The
message to Headquarters ended with the standard plea
that the negotiation be authorized as the matter was
extremely delicate and ~ould cause embarrassment to
the project. An outgoing cable from the Director on
26 Nov 60 authorized c==Jto negotiate up to $130,000
if that proved to be necessary; and the releasing

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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.