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Bay of Pigs Declassified: The Secret CIA Report on the Invasion of Cuba (National Security Archive Documents)

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A fascinating post-mortem on the Bay of Pigs operation and all the more so because it was done internally by the CIA Inspector General. Suppressed for three decades because of its remarkably blunt honesty this book will have you shaking your head. A perfect example of why the 'best and the brightest' are not always so. I found it enlightening and humorous at the same time. Not one of the best run CIA operations by any means.

In Bay of Pigs Declassified: The Secret CIA Report of the Invasion of Cuba (National Security Archive Documents) is edited by Peter Kornbluh who has assembled from released documents a detailed picture of the thinking of the period following Fidel Castro's conquest of Cuba and his unexpected turn to a Marxist/Leninist government. America was still smarting from the McCarthy era and communists of any sort were feared and loathed. It was intolerable that a communist government could be installed a mere 90 miles from the United States of America but here it was. The leaders of the Central Intelligence Agency were convinced there was a way to remove Castro without the U.S. appearing to be involved. Here are official documents detailing what was planned and why and the thinking behind the cruel method of cutting the nation's losses when it all went so disastrously wrong. President Kennedy was in many ways brilliant but about being talked into approving the CIA invasions plan he said, "How can I have been so stupid....?" Those who love American History will want to have this book on their shelves.

The authors fail to notice the most important thing the official report itself reveals, namely the real plan of the CIA, which was to sabotage their own invasion, making sure that it would fail, and sandbag JFK into a full-scale invasion. My argument (proof, I think) for this thesis has been available on the net ("The Bay of Pigs Revisited") since it was written in the mid-90s, and it is also in my book "Looking for the Enemy," an early version of which was also available in the late 90s.

this is my second report on the book bay of pigs declassified as I don't think my first was quite fair I found fault in that he didn't say any thing about my unit of 45 people I think we were the only ones know one knew about. every one else had been given away. but that didn't help we were caught and killed any how all but myself that is. to get back to mister Peter Kornbluh's book it was a very fine piece of work and he must have done much work to get so much info and to get it right. thanks for the chance to tell what I think about this very good book.

the book Bay of Pigs Declassifieied is very good it don't have quit all the facts in that it don't say one word about the small unit of guerrillas that I was in charge of we worked behind the lines to clear and hold a landing spot for troops that never came. the hole unite was captured and all but my self was killed including my interpter a young Cuban girl code name Louise she died so bravely she saved many lives by not telling where some of them were. I have tried to find some of her family and friends. but being short on money and not realy knowing where to look makes it all most imposable. she also saved my life and I would like to see her name in some of the books about the BAY OF PIGS INVASION