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recent volume of the operation have perpetuated the myth that all of the invaders fought furiously and heroically until overwhelmed by Castro's militia.* Possibly the most realistic evaluation of the performance of the Brigade was that made by Fidel Castro about the time that the Taylor Committee forwarded its final report to President Kennedy. Castro is reported to have said: The invading forces fought very well as long as they thought they had air cover. After it failed, it was an easy matter to get them to surrender. 24/ In the same context regarding the Brigade's performance, the Cuban leader said that if the paratroops had been dropped further inland, if they had succeeded in controlling the road- ways into Playa Giron and Playa Larga as planned, and if the battalion from the Houston had immediately joined their comrades in the fight at Playa Larga a provisional government probably could have been established. Castro conceded that "from a tactical point of view, in studying the terrain and choosing the appropriate place, the Pentagon strategists did very well. tl 25/ This is not to deny that there were truly brave men among the members of the invading force, but the percentage of heroes among the infantry brigade was far less than among *For example, see Peter Wyden, ~B~a~y~o_f-=P_i~g_s_: __~T_h_e~U~n~t~o~l~d__S~t~o_r~y, (New York: Simon &Schuster, 1979). Wyden presented much of his material as verbatim conversations that were taking place during the course of the action. I