THE TOTAL DISASTER THAT WAS THE BAY OF PIGS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-01022R000100180021-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 3, 1998
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: April 14, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

JUN.vrtJ Iii'.
The ToLea1ThatIAWSo1
By BEM P"tICE
and THEODORE A. EDIGER
Aaoel.fm peas staf wrier.
For the waiting, watchful Cu-
ban troops of Prime Minister Fi-
del Castro, the sudden appearance
of the United States warship In
the glare of the Cayo Guano
light was the final tipoff.
Cayo Guano is at the head of
the Bay of Pigs and southeast of
Havana.
Obviously, the long awaited in-
vasion was abort to begin. Cuban
alert order in Morse code:
'Tlace yourself on a work
status. Urgent "
And so the invasion of Cuba
at the Bay of Pigs by 1,500 armed
opponents of Fidel Castro on
April 17, 1961-two years ago next
Wednesday-was doomed.
The now known facts Indicate
that it was a failure from the
outset.
Assertions of U. S.- Betrayal
Bitter survivors of that Ill-
fated expedition, claiming be-
trayal by the United States. as-
sert:
A- United States Navy aircraft
carrier operating under the code
name "Santiago" was within 20
miles of the invasion beach with
Jets and propeller driven fighters
aboard painted with the blue
identifying stripe of the anti-
Castro brigade.
While some of these airplanes
wereairborne during the critical
M emb an __ 11 of Castes's militia in action in the Treasure Lagoon zone southeast of Havana an the day of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The photograp h
came from Cuban government sources.--AP Photo.
assault phase, none attacked.
Qualified sources in Washington
identify. -this carrier Co the USS
Boxer.
The Them was ample, though vn- used, gunfire support available among the United States war-
ships, within sight of the landing
beach. These ships- a cruiser, at
least one frigate and several de-
stroyers-bad escorted the in-
vaders' convoy from Nicaragua to
Cuba.
Until the landing craft actu-
ally started ashore there had
been no final selection of a beach-
head"area--and no reconnaissance
either.
Began in May, 1960
Neither the invaders' mission
nor. Immediate - objectives had
been defined. They just hoped the
United States would straighten
things out once they got ashore.
The whole business began In
earnest in May, 1960. It set in
motion a train of events the end
of which is not yet in sight-and
it was costly. .
It cost the lives of 81 of the In-
vaders, not including four Ameri-
can - flyers who piloted two B-26
light bombers, and resulted in
the wounding of 60.
It cost $45 million to execute,
the then chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Lyman Iem-
nitser, reportedly told a Senate
committee.
It cast upwards of $53 million
to ransom the Invasion survivors
from Cuban Prisons.
It has cost $75 million to date
to support 200,000 Cuban refuge-s
whose homeland is now closed to
them because the Invasion failed.
It cost thejgentral Intelligence
A enc (CIA) which treater-
au nded e operation, a consid-
erable portion of Its reputation
for competence.
Our Image Tarnished
And It tarnished tin Image of
the United States as a Nation of
high moral persuasion lr the con-
duct of international affairs,
coming as It did 'within a year.,
of the U-2 spy plane affair with
the Soviet Union.
Just When the Invasion scheme was hatched first is not yet clear,
but It apparently began germ]{
nating sometime early in 196(1.
shortly after Mr. Castro begs,{~
expropriating United States
owned properties in Cuba.
By August 24, 1960, Mr. Castro
was charging that the CIA was
organizing adherents of the for- ,
mer Cuban dictator. Fulgencio'
Batista, In Guatemala for an in-
vasion of Cuba.
And Mr. Castro was at least'.
partially right, for the organ
Lion had begun In may ia~-id
there were some Batista followers
in the group. '
After a series of diplomatic ]in-
mutations in which the move-
ments of United States Ambassal
dor to Cuba Philip Bonsai were
restricted to a small a:a of Ha-
vana and all but 11 United States
Embassy employes ordered to
leave, former President Elsent
bower severed relations with Cuba
on January.4, 1961.
The Rumors Roll Out
Now reports of military actly4
Wes began flowing out of, the
gossipy refugee colony I. Mier
with the persistence of truth.
. These reports-later confirm
-said anti-Castro refugees werel
training In Guatemala; Para+
troopers and pilots at the 5,000=
foot-long airstrip at Retalhuleuiee
Infantry at Trax; la Finqulta an
Gerrapatinartso.
During January, 1961, un
marked planes began makln
~i nt h ill hW f to
OP s. a., u~
they were carrying volunteers tp
Guatemala.
And it was In January that foul
members of the Alabama National
Guard, all former pilots. of the
World War II light bomber, the
B-26, were recruited. -
These men were paid $2,250 a
month each, plus $200 monthly
for expenses, so their survivors
reported.
In all, apparently. about 21
pilots were hired to train Cubans.
Gov. Orval Faubus of Arkansas
disclosed just this year that most
came out of his State's Air Na-
tional Guard.
when he left office January 20.
1961, no firmplan for 'the em-
ployment of the - refugee Cuban
force bad been determined-.
Castro Knew It. Was Coming
nits fact goes to the heart of
the milion, what the invaders
were supposed to accomplish and
how.
Guerillas would need neither
air cover nor tanks, trucks nor
Jeeps. Regular troops for a stand-
up battle with Mr Castro would.
The Man Who Hired Pilots Throughout the training pe-
riod, Mr. CaassWtpoo s radios were
The Alabama flyers were hired trumpeting ehalTos of an Im-
by a man who identified himself pending Invasion, Mr. Castor even
as Al.. E. Carlson of the Double had motion pictures of the refu-
Check Corp., of 1045 Curtis park- gm in trebling-
way, Miami Springs, Fla. By now it was. Apra, 1961, and
Double Click was formed May the preliminaries began.
12, 1959, by Mr. Carlson with a On April 2, bombs exploded in
capital of $500 to engage in a the Cuban Army'rs magazine pnb-
wide variety of business activities. Dishing plant and In a pt
After the invasion Mr. Carlson eminent-owned soft-drink Plant.
said be was simply acting has an - April 5: Fire destroyed a sugar
employment agency for an ern- warehouse.. -
identified Latin - American con- April -7: Dr. Jose Miro Car-
cern. dons, head of the Cuban Revo-
.While the United States pilots lutionary Council'- in Miami, pre-
were taking their Cuban coon- dieted a Cuban uprising. - -
terparts in tow, the Infantry was April 8: A?large water main was
being trained under the over-all blown no and sections of Havana
tage operations none was directed
toward military objectives-roads,
bridges, fuel and ammunition
dumps, airfields' or motorized
equipment.
On April 15, three rocket-firing
B-26s struck at three Cuban air
bases, two just outside Havana
and the third at Santiago de
Cuba.
The planes were to have
knocked out Castro's air force,
consisting of United States-made
T-33 Jet trainers. British Seafuries
and B-26 bombers.
They failed, but there was no
followup Jr astrike on April st-
and no news either.
Now it was April 17. All day
Havana Radio played soothing
music, interspersed with soap
operas and a lecture on -how
young lovers should behave.
From time to time, however, the
programs were Interrupted by ur-
gent orders for all militia to re-
port to their duty stations.
Radio Silent on Invasion
Throughout April 18 Havana
Radio was exasperatingly silent on
the subject of the invasion though
the previous night it had appealed
for blood donors.
direction of a man Identified by were left waterless for 48 hours. Diplomats and correspondents
the refugees as a Fllipind who April 10: Mr. Castro abruptly from Iron Curtain countries re-
went by the name of Col. Vallejo. clamped a. radio, blackout on all ported on April 19 that Cubs, had
There were American officers, invasion scare talk. - been attacked - by planes and
too, men known by the cover April 12: A bomb exploded in troop-carrying ships. -
names of ',Frank," "Jimmie" and the lfavana railway station, in- Late that same day. Havana Ra-
?Charles." luring no one. 'dlo said Mr. Castro had reported
From May. 1960, to November. April 13: Fire destroyed a' pa- an invasion attempt an : was now
the anti-Castro Cubans were given per warehouse and. a department mopping up survivors. This was
sue-training. In No- store. - : - followed, by the grim announce-
vember the training was shifted April' 13: Mr. Castro concen- ment, that two Americans and
to straight World War II Infantry trated 45,000 heavily armed troops seven Cubans had been executed
r ShAltK r~.~Ei2 ypl7sadlt Shc nd^^, ~ ZI[ a, rdeld Ir.Suce
v
manta Mr. Eisenhower said that when, and (2) In all the sabo- of harboring the slightest anti-
as14 I?aW11 Old!
sentiments. in Havana
nine 200.000'were rounded
staffed Into any place with
round It.. .
What had happened?
On iprll 10-11, tl. brigade had
sailed, fr-~ Puerto Cabanas - on
GreatCorn Island,- Nicaragua, -a
tiny,; rt to which they' had been
f from Guatemala
could not assert
truthltlgy that-the lavaston bad
not b staged from her roll. .
-Dag berto Darlas- 40 once
weattiiy Cuban businescren and
. a' ?ufree expert, was chief - officer
of Ii Rio Escondido; one of the
shIp6' n the Invasion' forcg. :In
an interview in M1amI, Mr. Darlas
said:;?
"Wi left . Puerto. Cabezas on
April )i2; Five Liberty-type trans-
portrTeraels,..the Rio Eseeandido,
Atlm (ar)be, Houston and
Lake,. banes. The Lake Charles
was tbe'Operation 40' (code name
far the command ship) ship. It
remained behind and was to land
latetfor map-UP operations.
-Two Small Boats
"Aboard the transports were
two small boats, the Blagar with
14 machine guns and the Barbara
J. with nine. Thane were small
converted coasters.
"Seven landing craft were pres-
ent for the invasion-three LCU's
(landing craft, utility) and four
LCVP's (landing craft, vehicle-
personnel). Also 30 outhoard mo-
tor communication launches, six
aboard each (liberty) ship. Also
five tanks.
"The landing craft with the-
tanks aboard were escorted to a
point new the Cuban coast by an
American-type ship. I only saw
Its silhouette. That was the eve-
ning of April 16.
"We. could are the lights of
Cayo Guano. There, at what was
called our convoy Point, an Ameri-
can cruiser was visible in the
tower light.
"Why that spot in front of the
tower was selected for the cruiser,
I don' know. Nor do I know
why the general site was selected
for the invasion.
"It was not until about four In
the mhening that a landing place
was fot;od. It was difficult for
there was a violent sea. .
Enem1 Prepared
"But by the time the small
landing beach was decided upon,
the enemy had time to get ready
for us. I don't know why the
spot =wasn't selected beforehand.
"The Houston went in first. It
wasr"bceived by artillery fire di-
rected from the Bay of Pigs air-
fieid:}..if'bere was a cross fire which
was marvelous... .
(The Houston with the com-
municptions gear aboard was
damaged and beached.)
Whcn dlsembariaton be-
gan l was under an aerial battle
between our planes and Fidel's.
'Then Sesfuries hit the wooden
bridgq' of the Rio Escondido. Our
ship 'blew up and sank in five
minutes . . . we swam to the
Biggar.
On April 18 we received a ra-
dlograln from the American air-
craft carrier 'Santiago telling us
that at 2:30 p.m. that day we
would: get air support from six
p-51 planes (World War II fight-
ers)....
"At' 2:30 we saw two planes
crosr,,A minute later two others
we had been the victims of a.
great betrayal..
"We had 16 plane... It took
three hours to fly from
them
Puerto Cabezas. They would fight
for about three 'quarters of an
hour and than fly back. for sup-
Plies. Then they would come ..
It was moat gnrelling. I hback:ad'
friend, Joaquin Varela, who went
46 hours without sleep.. ...
Paratroopers Take Airstrip
"On April 19 when the Cuban
pilots were played out, four Amer-
icans stepped In to relieve some
of them. The Americans in two
B-263 were the ones from Ala-
bama who were shot down. They
As for the paratroopers, there
were 185 of them, Mr. Darlas said.
and they captured the Bay of Pigs
airstrip, but couldn't bold It be-,
cause of strafing from Mr. Cas-
tro's aircraft
Were the Cuban invaders ever
promised air cover? Attorney
General Robert F. Kennedy,
brother to the President. said in
a magazine interview this year-.
that at no time had the United
States over promised military air.
support. Thhee key work Is "military," that
Is, uniformed pilots In United
States marked planes.
Dr. Enrique Linea, one of those
captured and ransomed, said:
"We were told there would be
air cover. Not officially. But It
might as well have been 'official.
We all knew the United States
had a hand in the matter. We
were transported to the training,
area In United States Planes. We
were trained by Americans. Our,
weapons and planes were Ameri-
can. What else could our con-
clusion be? We are not morons.
No one wanted to commit sui-
cide.'
Straight-Ahead Attack
The invading troops were
landed on Giron Beach, which Is
approached by land via a single
road, flanked on both sides by
impassable - marshes and man-
grove swamps. There was only
one way to attack and that was
straight ahead Into Mr. Castro's
45,000 men.
By the morning of the 19th,
the men were giving up the hope-
less fight. They were out of am--
munition and W. Castro's planes
dominated the air.
Of the 16 planes in anti-Castro
operation, eight were shot down
and the remainder arrived back
in Nicaragua full of holes.
Mr. Llaca reported that the In-
vaders managed only to progress
from the beachhead to a road
Junction designated as "Central
Australia." This was 10 to 12
-miles inland.
That was that. It was a total
disaster. .
On April 24, White House Press
secretary Plerm Salinger read
Washington newsmen a state-
ment, in which President Kennedy
accepted "... full responsibility
for the events of the past few
days.'
' On June 28, 1961. Mr. Kennedy
told a news conference he was
considering changes in the Intel-
ligence setup, Some revisions
were later made though how ex-
tensive they were Is unknown.
Since the invasion. the top
echelon 0f the CIA at the time
has retired: Allen Dulles. direc-
tor; Au Force Gen. C. P. Cabell
deputy direc r, an car M.
Bissell, jr., deputy [ or
pans.
~ I ately -717-was a gradual process spread
4IF~. s re- over a ear. ere was o n
.. ms we
~ tYW"e t
a err departure had an -
the o ers in owed.
"From that moment we knew
the war was lost for us and that
thing do with f Pn s
rsas r.
M
g