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-+Ofi SECREr On 2 January 1961 Fidel Castro notified the United States Government that it would have to cut its Embassy staff in Havana 'to eleven persons. On 3 January 1961, President Eisenhower held a meeting at the White House to discuss the Cuban situation. In addition to the President, and the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury, the participants included the members of the Special Group, plus General Goodpaster, Mr. Bissell, Thomas Mann, and Tracy Barnes. Among principal questions, of course, were if and when the United States should break off diplomatic relations with Cuba; and after some initial hesitation, before the day was over the United States did break relations officially with the Cuban Govern- ment.* to those who were even' marginally involved in planning the anti-Castro operation and contri~uted nothing in particular to understanding of any of them. Similarly, Barnes' memorandum for the DCI in prep- aration for a 3 January policy meeting, rehashed the same information that Barnes had presented to Chief, WH/4, just a few days before. 26/ Barnes appears to have suffered a severe case of-Verba1 diarrhea. * Before the firm decision was made to break diplomatic relations, there was great concern within the Agency that the COS, a communicator, and a PM officer, and possibly a fourth individual be retained as members of the Staff. 27/ - 189 - 'fOP SI-,CR: F+:-