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out because it almost ruled out the possibility of guerrilla 89/ action as a practical thing." Guerrilla action, of course, never was "practical" for Zapata, not only for the problems which would have .been presented by the immediate terrain and the long distance from the Escambray, but because Castro~s government was strongly supported by the population of the area, sparse though it was. Social improvements, particularly in education, transportation, and housing were well underway 1 and the likelihood of a successful guerrilla option was extremely remote. The tenth meeting of the Cuban Study Group was convened on 4 May 1961, and the three witnesses who appeared were General David Gray of the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Bonesteel, assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State. The generals testified before the committee in the offices which had been assigned to General Taylor in the Pentagon, and Secretary Rusk's testimony was given in his own offices at the Department of State.* General Gray was DOD's closest associate with the CIA planners during the BOP operation * As with various other of the flag and general officers who appeared before the Taylor Committee, General Bonesteel's remarks were addressed to suggested improvements in the US capability to respond to crises in the Cold War and had no bearing on the Cuban Operation. 92 .. .. ~'