Official History of the Bay of Pigs Operation- Volume 2- Part 1

moved either into restricted areas or out of sight of
the newsmen -- the Cuban air trainees being orbited
over the ocean in a C-54. Guatemalan soldiers were
moved into the areas to pass as the ones who were
being trained by the few Americans posing as mercenaries
hired by the GOG to provide the training.
Ydigoras believed that the guided tour procedure"
was the best defense against both the heavy internal
political pressures as well as the inquiries from out-
side news sources for information on the activities
which were being observed at the Retalhuleu airstrip.
Through the device of admitting to a certain amount
of US technical help in the form of "mercenaries" he
hoped to blunt the charges that he was preparing and
supporting the Cubans who planned to overthrow Castro. 75/*
US newspapers and periodicals began to show so
much interest in possible CIA involvement in Guatemala
* Robert Zunzer, presently Executive Officer to the
Deputy Director for Administration, clearly recalls
having to take to the woods in order to get out of the
path of the media investigators who were brought into
Guat~mala at this time. He said it provided one or
two of the few days of leisure that he experienced
during the course of his participation in the JMATE
activity.