◆ SpookStack

The whole gamut of the operation from the 17 March 1960 authorization for the anti-Castro program by President Eisenhower through the collapse of the invasion effort--including the on- , going search in Cuban waters by u.s. destroyers and a submarine for possible survivors and escapees from the beach at Playa Giron-- were introduced during the course of the initial meeting. Some of the problems raised at this time were to be of continuing interest throughout the hearings. Concern for the authority under which CIA's anti-Castro activity had been set in motion was one such issue. Background information on that subject was provided by Col. J. C. King who traced CIA's anti-Castro interests back to 1958, prior to Castro's take over of the. Cuban government. Very early differences between the Agency and the Department of State over possible violations of OAS or UN agreements as the Agency sought to use Guatemala and Nicaragua as sites tor the training and possible launching of the anti-Castro forces were noted. The question of the Agency's relationship:;; with the Cuban exile leadership-- especially questi'ons concerning the choice of leaders and the failure of the ~gency to put the Cubans in positions of true leadership--was :introduced at this time. As others would state at subsequent meetings, Mr. Bissell pointed out that, although there were certain highly sensitive areas of activity which could have been ,run only by Agency personnel, the original idea, was: 27.