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.
“Jacobs”10 pages
TOP fRET Some of the airfield buildings were sup- posed to be holding hostages, but the field proper with its supply sheds and such were pulverized. We strafed ditches, bushes, or anything where someone could find cover ~lose enough to the runway to harass the C-46's that were to land with the Cuban troops. We never were informed of KIA or wounded counts. We did hear that a couple of Americans on the ground watched Bill and I at a safe distance and reported that we did a tremendous job -- whatever that might mean. Three C-46's were involved. [They were] flown by Cubans. One C-46 landed. As it was rolling to a stop, the Cuban troops started firing out the doors and escape hatches. The pilot thought he had landed in a trap and continued to take off with- out ever having come to a stop. They re- fused (all three C-46's) to land after that and returned to Retalhuleu with all other troops still aboard. I would guess around 100 troops were involved. I can only estimate at what I saw. As to Agency trainers -- here, again, time has slipped my memory -- but I believe their American Commander was on one of the C-46's, but not the C-46 that landed. He was still the sa~e Commander for the Bay of Pigs.* * This is a reference to Lt. Col. Frank Egan, the PM trainer. Egan's version of the incident is somewhat different than Seigrists. In his testimony to the Taylor Committee Egan said: President Ydigoras requested that we make an airborne landing, which we did. I was in command of the outfit. Washing- ton gave us permission to do this, but I operated under the Mission Chief in Guate- maId. (footnote continued on following page)
Not linked to a story yet.
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.