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Part III Initiation of Combat Air Operations B. Post-Strike Contretemps The post-strike philosophy of air operations personnel affiliated with proj~ct JMATE was probqbly best summed up by Col. George Gaines, who said: We had the key to Cuba already in our hand. All that we had to do was to elimi- nate those few other airplanes and our landing Brigade would have owned Cuba. 45/ Not only would this represent the belief of every- one who was even remotely affiliated with the air opera- tion, it also was the belief of many of those who were closely associated with the JMATE project in capacities other than air operations. The manner of dealing with the few aircraft available to Castro would come to be the pivot about which reputations were made and unmade, tarnished and shined. In the first glow of victory, "Carpenter, Barnes, and crowd" from JMADD told TIDE to "Give the boys our congratulations." 46/* Even as Gar * The Barnes referred to in this cable was not C. Tracy Barnes, the A/OOP/A, but was the alias used for a military assignee to air operations at Retal- huleu. - 213 -