JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION | RECORD NUMBER 145-10001-10272

26 February 1962

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

SUBJECT: Minutes of Special Group Meeting on Cuba, 26 February

PRESENT: General Taylor and Mr. Bundy; Mr. Johnson; Mr. McNamara, Mr. Gilpatric and General Lemnitzer; Mr. McCone. General Lansdale and Mr. Harvey were also present.

 

The following decisions were reached:

1. The immediate tasks to be accomplished include:

a. The drafting of a paper for higher authority which will include two assumptions. These are (1) the United States will make maximum use of Cuban resources, but recognizes that final success will require decisive U.S. military intervention; and (2) that development of Cuban resources will be for the purpose of facilitating and supporting this intervention and to provide a preparation and a justification for it. Higher authority will not be asked by this paper to make a poilcy decision at this time, but simply to note the assumptions.

b. The plan presented by General Lansdale will be recast to put into one paper the short-range actions for the months of March, April and May, such as the acquisition of hard intelligence, and other actions drawn from answers to his study of 20 February 1962, which would have a low visibility and little likelihood of giving away the basic plan. Another paper will include those actions which would have the effect of committing the U.S. to greater or lesser degree to intervention. To the extent possible, the actions contemplated in functional annexes to the plan will be assigned to specific time phases. These papers will be circulated before the coming weekend.

The plan will contain more on intelligence, including a reference to the effort required in third countries.

The reference to a Presidential memorandum, in the first two lines of the Lansdale paper of 20 February, will be deleted.

The paper should include reference to the development of adequate Cuban leadership.

c. The Special Group will consider these papers, with the Attorney General present, before presentation to higher authority.

2. The cover plan for early actions will be that the U.S. in pursuing an anti-Castro policy is under the necessity of acquiring as much hard intelligence on Cuba as possible in a short time.

3. Each proposed sabotage operation will be decided on the basis of its individual merits, at the time.

4. Mr. McNamara undertook to provide the boats needed by CIA on presentation of a list of requirements, if they are available within the Defense establishment.

5. Arrangements will be made to have available a facility for radio broadcasts from a submarine, but the decision as to the actual beginning of broadcasting will be deferred until a later date. An internal land-based radio facility will not be considered at this time.

6. General Lansdale is to prepare a list of the individuals who know about this plan, with an estimate of their degree of knowledgeability. A control list will be kept of those having knowledge of the basic document.

7. General Taylor undertook to prepare the paper referred to in paragraph 1a above, which would set forth the guidelines for the further development of the project and would outline the channels of responsibility.

 

 

Thomas A. Parrott

 

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