THE PROPOSED OPERATION NORTHWOODS
"Army Gen. Lyman L. Lemnitzer, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, presented the Operation Northwoods plan to Kennedy early in 1962" (Shane and Bowman).
"Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities" (Ruppe).
"The proposals were generated in response to a request by Mongoose head Edward Lansdale, who was picked by Kennedy to run operations against Cuba" (Mary Farrell Foundation).
(NARA)
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"MEMORANDUM TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Justification for US Military Intervention in Cuba":
"The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba and to develop an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere" |
"MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD: Meeting with the President, 16 March 1962":
"General Lemnitzer commented that the military... had plans [Operation Northwoods] for creating plausible pretexts to use force, with the pretext either attacks on U.S. aircraft or a Cuban action in Latin America for which we could retaliate. The President said bluntly that we were not discussing the use of military force, that General Lemnitzer might find the U.S so engaged in Berlin or elsewhere that he couldn't use the contemplated 4 divisions in Cuba" |
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"Lemnitzer, who, with the signed plans in hand made a pitch to McNamara on March 13, 1962, recommending Operation Northwoods be run by the military... [He] would be denied another term as chairman and transferred to another job"
(Ruppe).
(Ruppe).