◆ SpookStack

J:8P 3ECRt:1' As 1959 drew to a close, a final Special National Intelligence Estimate, tiThe Situation in the Caribbean through 1960," indicated that Castro was in to stay, despite internal difficulties. The SNIE saw no serious threat to Castro's continued rule, and it pointed out that if there was direct US intervention, "Most Cubans including the military, would react violently.1t 46/ As 1960 began, General Cabell, the Deputy Direc- tor of Central Intelligence, held a joint briefing plots aimed at Fidel Castro and others, pages 2 and 3 of Appendix A show two significant corrections in Allen Dulles's own handwriting to the text submitted by Col. King. In paragraph 3d, the phrase Itthorough consider- ation be given to the el,imination of Fidel Castro lt carries Dulles's pencilled correction making the text read Itremoval from Cubalt rather than ltelimination. 1t At a later point in the same paragraph the original text said Itmany informed people believe that , the disappearance of Fidel would-greatly accelerate the fall of the present government". Mr. Dulles has substituted the word Itremovallt for the word "disappear- ance." These significant changes in the text on the "original copy of King's memorandum -- which the author has recovered -- support the contention that the author has made "in the Foreword to this Volume that the com- ponent (WH/4) officially charged with the conduct of the Agency's anti-Castro program was neither charged with nor responsible for programs designed to assas- sinate Castro in the course of the Bay of Pigs Opera- tion. Colonel King's memorandum of 11 December 1959, with the pencilled corrections noted above, was con- curred in by Richard M. Bissell and approved by Allen W. Dulles on 12 December 1959. - 30 -