◆ SpookStack

more reasonable to blame Barnes alone, not the CIA, for Stevenson being confused. Schlesinger's harsh criticism was unjustified. Schlesinger also stated as follows: The collapse of the cover story brought the question of the second air strike into new focus. The President and the Secretary understood this strike as one which would take place simultaneously with the landings and have the appearance of coming from the airstrip on the beach. It had slid by in the briefings, everyone assuming that it would be masked by the cover story. But, there could be no easy attribution to de- fectors now. Nor, did the fact that the planes were B-26's flown by Cuban pilots save the situation; despite the great to-do about "Cubanizing" the operation, they would still be united States planes in the eyes of the UN. 107/ There is an inherent paradox in Schlesinger's comment about the second strike "sliding by" in the briefings, because it would be masked by the cover story. If "everyone ll assumed that it would be masked by the cover story, then apparently everyone was aware of the plan to hit Cuban targets on D-Day. In view of the written record of Mr. Bundy favoring a pre D-Day attack, it is 'difficult to imagine that the principal White House staffers were not fully aware of what was intended in the way of air strikes against Cuban soil. - 264 -