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.

Open the PDF at page 43 Original source ↗

“King”13 pages

  • 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…
to France Field in Panama. Ydigoras himself was facing
strong congressional opposition from those who refused
to believe that he had not permitted the use of Guate-
malan territory for the training of the anti-Castro
Cuban group.
How desperate the situation appeared to the GOG
was noted in a cable from Headquarters to Guatemala:
JMARC principal Department of State
contact told [Gerard] Droller that Alejos
[presumably Ambassador Alejos] had informed
President Eisenhower of Guat plan stage
Cuban invasion Guat. According this plan,
it is intended for number of Cubans land
Guat beach and dig for arms caches osten-
sibly placed there by Castro agents. "In-
vading Cubans" would be apprehended by
Guats and brought to trial. Trial pro-
ceedings would be extremely fair and
sentences extremely light. Ydigoras
desires contrast Guat application justice
with that of Castro. Intended that the
entire operation be bloodless and without
shooting. 38/
It was not clear whether the "invaders" were to
be volunteers from among the troops in training at
JMTRAV, but before any such operation could take
place, a real crisis broke in Guatemala.
On 13 November 1960 an emergency cable from
JMADD was received in Headquarters' at 0931 (Washington
time), stating that Roberto Alejos had arrived at the

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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.