◆ SpookStack

FOREWORD Air operations over Cuba from 15-19 April 1961 were, chronologically, the penultimate phase of the Bay of Pigs story -- the surrender, incarceration, and eventual release of the members of the 2506 Exile Brigade provide the conclusion of the story. Because what happened in the air not only couZd, but did, determine the fate of the US Government's anti-Castro program, the story of air operations is offered as the first volume in CIA's official, all-source history of the Bay of Pigs. For the reader who wishes to focus solely on the "gut issues" involving air operations, Parts III and IV of this volume are recommended because they encompass, ,among other stories, the D minus 2 air strike, Adlai Stevenson's role, the "Second-Strike" episode, air combat efforts over Cuba, and the role of USN Carrier Task Group 81.8. These portions of the history also focus on the actions and decisions (or indecisions) of various of the principals involved in the anti-Castro effort including President John F. Kennedy and the White House Staff, the JCS, and - ii -