Paramilitary Study Group Meeting No. 2 Afternoon Session

Report on meeting of the Paramilitary Study Group concerning the Bay of Pigs operation.

Extracted text

OCR Page 1 of 26
(The following ase hon rut represent the general substance of the statements :aade.) the - I made a misstatement in regard to the decision not to employ napalm. This was not a national, high- level governmental decision, but the agency made this decision as they thought that the use of napalm would cause concern and public outcry. GENERAL CABELL - Yes, that was in regard to its use in the Havana area in advance of the operation. However, it was authorized for use on the beachhead. A - Another advantage to the Escambray area is that Castro never used his offensive aircraft against the guerrillas there and, additionally, tanks and artillery cannot be used in that terrain. GENERAL TAYLOR - Would you summarize all the restraints and restrictions that were put on your operations by policy decisions and considerations? - In regard to the Zapata Plan there is the question of the naval LSD which had aboard it LCUs and LCPs. These landing craft were to haul troops, tanks and trucks and they were to be put ashore by Cuban crews. Because they did not wish to have the Cuban crews riding aboard the Navy's ship we had to run a rigmarole wherein the LSD rendezvoused with the Cuban Expeditionary Force ships and the Cuban crews went aboard the landing craft after they left the LSD. c MR. BISSELL - Though it was a sizable operation, as far as we know there were no rumors of the ships having left the port of embarkation, there was no outcry made in the press, and we have no indications that the point of landing was known. GENERAL GRAY - We did receive a report of one airline sighting wherein their aircraft flew over the ships. - Bissell's suggestion in regard to having the ships fan out and then reconverge at at point worked very well. GENERAL TAYLOR - Then the only Americans present were in the LSD? 1 -