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[[Image:NorthwoodsMemorandum.jpg|thumbnail|185px|Operation Northwoods memorandum (13 March 1962)<ref name=northwoods1>U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/index.html "Justification for US Military Intervention in Cuba (TS)"], ''U.S. Department of Defense'', 13 March 1962. The Operation Northwoods document in [[PDF]] format on the website of the independent, non-governmental research institute the [[National Security Archive]] at the [[George Washington University]] Gelman Library, Washington, D.C. Direct PDF links: [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/northwoods.pdf here] and [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/doc1.pdf here].</ref>]] |
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[[Image:Lyman L. Lemnitzer.jpg|thumb|185px|Lyman L. Lemnitzer, who was in charge as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] |
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'''Operation Northwoods''' was a proposed [[false flag]] operation against the Cuban government, that originated within the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] (DoD) and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] (JCS) of the [[United States government]] in 1962. The proposals called for the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) or other [[Federal Government of the United States|U.S. government]] operatives to commit acts of terrorism against American civilians and military targets, blaming it on the Cuban government, and using it to justify a war against Cuba. The plans detailed in the document 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 orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92662&]</ref> The proposals were rejected by the [[Kennedy administration]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92662&page=1#.TxsGQG_Ox2B | title=U.S. Military Wanted to Provoke War With Cuba | publisher=ABC News | date=May 1, 2001 | accessdate=January 21, 2012 | author=Ruppe, David}}</ref> |
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At the time of the proposal, communists led by [[Fidel Castro]] had recently taken power in Cuba. The operation proposed creating public support for a war against Cuba by blaming it for terrorist acts that would actually be perpetrated by the U.S. Government.<ref>[[Alexander Zaitchik|Zaitchik, Alexander]] (3 March 2011) [http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/talk-radios-alex-jones-the-most-paranoid-man-in-america-20110302?print=true Meet Alex Jones], ''[[Rolling Stone]]''</ref> To this end, Operation Northwoods proposals recommended hijackings and [[bomb]]ings followed by the introduction of phony evidence that would implicate the Cuban government. It stated: |
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<blockquote>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.</blockquote> |
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Several other proposals were included within Operation Northwoods, including real or simulated actions against various [[U.S. military]] and civilian targets. The operation recommended developing a "Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington". |
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The plan was drafted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signed by Chairman [[Lyman Lemnitzer]] and sent to the [[Secretary of Defense]]. Although part of the U.S. government's anti-communist [[Cuban Project]], Operation Northwoods was never officially accepted; it was authorized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but then rejected by President [[John F. Kennedy]]. According to currently released documentation, none of the operations became active under the auspices of the Operation Northwoods proposals. |
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==Origins and public release== |
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The main proposal was presented in a document titled "Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba (TS)," a top secret collection of draft [[memoranda]] written by the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] (DoD) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).<ref name=northwoods1>U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/index.html "Justification for US Military Intervention in Cuba (TS)"], ''U.S. Department of Defense'', 13 March 1962. The Operation Northwoods document in [[PDF]] format on the website of the independent, non-governmental research institute the [[National Security Archive]] at the [[George Washington University]] Gelman Library, Washington, D.C. Direct PDF links: [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/northwoods.pdf here] and [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/doc1.pdf here].</ref> The document was presented by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]] on 13 March 1962 as a preliminary submission for planning purposes. The Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended that both the covert and overt aspects of any such operation be assigned to them. |
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The previously secret document was originally made public on 18 November 1997, by the [[Assassination Records Review Board|John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board]],<ref>[http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/review-board/index.html "The Records of the Assassination Records Review Board,"] ''[[National Archives and Records Administration]]''.</ref> a U.S. federal agency overseeing the release of government records related to [[John F. Kennedy assassination|John F. Kennedy's assassination]].<ref>[http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/1998/nr98-16.html "Media Advisory: National Archives Releases Additional Materials Reviewed by the Assassination Records Review Board,"] ''Assassination Records Review Board'' (a division of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration), 17 November 1997. A U.S. government press-release announcing the declassification of some 1,500 pages of U.S. government documents from 1962 to 1964 relating to U.S. policy towards Cuba, among which declassified documents included the Operation Northwoods document.</ref><!--<ref>Jim Wolf, [http://groups.google.com/group/aus.tv.x-files/browse_thread/thread/389c6945e535d5c8/ "Pentagon Planned 1960s Cuban 'Terror Campaign',"] ''Reuters'', 18 November 1997.</ref><ref name=feinsilber1>Mike Feinsilber, [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.conspiracy.jfk/msg/ae09ebd1e17a7c67/ "At a tense time, plots abounded to humiliate Castro,"] ''Associated Press'' (''AP''), 18 November 1997; also available [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.gathering.rainbow/msg/cec8ff17d8b26ef2/ here].</ref>--><ref name=weiner>Tim Weiner, [http://web.archive.org/web/20030224033044/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kencast.htm "Documents Show Pentagon's Anti-Castro Plots During Kennedy Years,"] ''[[New York Times]]'', 19 November 1997; appeared on the same date and by the same author in the ''New York Times'' itself as [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F1FFE3D5F0C7A8DDDA80994DF494D81 "Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy,"] late edition—final, section A, pg. 25, column 1.</ref> A total of 1,521 pages of once-secret military records covering 1962 to 1964 were concomitantly [[Declassification|declassified]] by said Review Board. |
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"Appendix to Enclosure A" and "Annex to Appendix to Enclosure A" of the Northwoods document were first published online by the [[National Security Archive]] on 6 November 1998 in a joint venture with [[CNN]] as part of its 1998 ''Cold War'' television documentary series<ref>[http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/coldwar/documents/index.html "National Security Archive: COLD WAR: Documents,"] ''National Security Archive'', 27 September 1998 – 24 January 1999.</ref><ref>U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, [http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/coldwar/documents/episode-10/02-01.htm "Appendix to Enclosure A: Memorandum for Chief of Operations, Cuba Project" and "Annex to Appendix to Enclosure A: Pretexts to Justify U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba,"] ''U.S. Department of Defense'', c. March 1962. First published online by the [[National Security Archive]] on 6 November 1998, as part of CNN's ''Cold War'' documentary series. "Annex to Appendix to Enclosure A" is the section of the Operation Northwoods document which contains the proposals to stage terrorist attacks.</ref>—specifically, as a documentation supplement to "Episode 10: Cuba," which aired on 29 November 1998.<ref>[http://www.turnerlearning.com/cnn/coldwar/cw_epsds.html "Cold War Teacher Materials: Episodes,"] and [http://www.turnerlearning.com/cnn/coldwar/cuba/cuba_ttl.html "Educator Guide to CNN's COLD WAR Episode 10: Cuba,"] ''Turner Learning'' (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.).</ref> "Annex to Appendix to Enclosure A" is the section of the document which contains the proposals to stage [[terrorism|terrorist attacks]]. |
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The Northwoods document was published online in a more complete form, including cover [[memorandum|memoranda]], by the National Security Archive on 30 April 2001.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/index.html "Pentagon Proposed Pretexts for Cuba Invasion in 1962,"] ''National Security Archive'', 30 April 2001.</ref> |
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== Content == |
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{{refimprove|section|date=December 2015}} |
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In response to a request for pretexts for military intervention by the Chief of Operations of the Cuba Project, Brig. Gen. [[Edward Lansdale]], the document listed methods, and outlined plans, that the authors believed would garner public and international support for U.S. military intervention in Cuba. According to the documents, the plan called for the following: |
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{{ordered list |
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| Since it would seem desirable to use legitimate provocation as the basis for U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a cover and deception plan, to include requisite preliminary actions such as had been developed in response to Task 33 c, could be executed as an initial effort to provoke Cuban reactions. Harassment plus deceptive actions to convince the Cubans of imminent invasion would be emphasized. Our military posture throughout execution of the plan will allow a rapid change from exercise to intervention if Cuban response justifies. |
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| A series of well coordinated incidents will be planned to take place in and around Guantanamo to give genuine appearance of being done by hostile Cuban forces.<ref>[http://media.nara.gov/media/images/36/15/36-1469a.jpg Annex to Appendix to Enclosure A: Pretexts to Justify U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba], media.nara.gov, accessed 3 September 2009</ref> |
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| United States would respond by executing offensive operations to secure water and power supplies, destroying artillery and mortar emplacements which threaten the base. |
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| Commence large scale United States military operations. |
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}} |
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==Related Operation Mongoose proposals== |
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{{Main article|Operation Mongoose}} |
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In addition to Operation Northwoods, under the Operation Mongoose program the U.S. Department of Defense had a number of similar proposals to be taken against the Cuban regime of [[Fidel Castro]]. |
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[[File:Major-general-lansdale.jpg|thumb|Edward Lansdale]] |
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Twelve of these proposals come from a 2 February 1962 memorandum entitled "Possible Actions to Provoke, Harass or Disrupt Cuba," written by Brig. Gen. William H. Craig and submitted to Brig. Gen. [[Edward Lansdale]], the commander of the Operation Mongoose project.<ref name=feinsilber1>Mike Feinsilber, [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.conspiracy.jfk/msg/ae09ebd1e17a7c67/ "At a tense time, plots abounded to humiliate Castro,"] ''Associated Press'' (''AP''), 18 November 1997; also available [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.gathering.rainbow/msg/cec8ff17d8b26ef2/ here].</ref><ref name=weiner>Tim Weiner, [http://web.archive.org/web/20030224033044/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kencast.htm "Documents Show Pentagon's Anti-Castro Plots During Kennedy Years,"] ''[[New York Times]]'', 19 November 1997; appeared on the same date and by the same author in the ''New York Times'' itself as [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F1FFE3D5F0C7A8DDDA80994DF494D81 "Declassified Papers Show Anti-Castro Ideas Proposed to Kennedy,"] late edition—final, section A, pg. 25, column 1.</ref> |
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The memorandum outlines Operation Bingo, a plan to "create an incident which has the appearance of an attack on [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|U.S. facilities (GMO) in Cuba]], thus providing an excuse for use of U.S. military might to overthrow the current government of Cuba." |
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It also includes Operation Dirty Trick, a plot to blame Castro if the 1962 [[Project Mercury|Mercury]] manned space flight carrying [[John Glenn]] crashed, saying: "The objective is to provide irrevocable proof that, should the MERCURY manned orbit flight fail, the fault lies with the Communists et al. Cuba {{sic}}." It continues, "This to be accomplished by manufacturing various pieces of evidence which would prove electronic interference on the part of the Cubans." |
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Even after General Lemnitzer lost his job as the [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the Joint Chiefs of Staff still planned false-flag pretext operations at least into 1963. A different U.S. Department of Defense policy paper created in 1963 discussed a plan to make it appear that Cuba had attacked a member of the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS) so that the United States could retaliate. The U.S. Department of Defense document says of one of the scenarios, "A contrived 'Cuban' attack on an OAS member could be set up, and the attacked state could be urged to take measures of self-defense and request assistance from the U.S. and OAS." |
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The plan expressed confidence that by this action, "the U.S. could almost certainly obtain the necessary two-thirds support among OAS members for collective action against Cuba."<ref name=bamford>James Bamford, Chapter 4: "Fists" of ''Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency From the Cold War Through the Dawn of a New Century'' (New York: Doubleday, first edition, 24 April 2001), ISBN 0-385-49907-8.</ref><ref>Mike Feinsilber, [http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y98/jan98/30e6.htm "Records Show Plan To Provoke Castro,"] ''Associated Press'' (''AP''), 29 January 1998.</ref> |
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Included in the nations the Joint Chiefs suggested as targets for covert attacks were [[Jamaica]] and [[Republic of Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad-Tobago]]. Since both were members of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]], the Joint Chiefs hoped that by secretly attacking them and then falsely blaming Cuba, the United States could incite the people of the United Kingdom into supporting a war against Castro.<ref name=bamford/> As the U.S. Department of Defense report noted: |
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<blockquote>Any of the contrived situations described above are inherently, extremely risky in our democratic system in which security can be maintained, after the fact, with very great difficulty. If the decision should be made to set up a contrived situation it should be one in which participation by U.S. personnel is limited only to the most highly trusted covert personnel. This suggests the infeasibility of the use of military units for any aspect of the contrived situation."<ref name=bamford/></blockquote> |
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The U.S. Department of Defense report even suggested covertly paying a person in the Castro government to attack the United States: "The only area remaining for consideration then would be to bribe one of Castro's subordinate commanders to initiate an attack on [the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] base at] Guantanamo."<ref name=bamford/> |
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==Reaction== |
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[[File:John F. Kennedy speaks at Rice University.jpg|thumb|John F. Kennedy in 1962]] |
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Kennedy personally rejected the Northwoods proposal, and it would now be the Joint Chiefs' turn to incur his displeasure. A JCS/Pentagon document (Ed Lansdale memo) dated 16 March 1962 titled MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT, 16 MARCH 1962 reads: "General Lemnitzer commented that the military had contingency plans for U.S. intervention. Also it had plans 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."<ref>Lansdale Memo of 16 Mar 1962. This memo records a high-level meeting in the White House 3 days after McNamara was presented with Operation Northwoods. [http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?absPageId=49622]</ref> The proposal was sent for approval to the Secretary of Defense, [[Robert McNamara]], but was not implemented. |
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Following presentation of the Northwoods plan, Kennedy removed Lemnitzer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, although he became [[Supreme Allied Commander]] of [[NATO]] in January 1963. American armed forces leaders began to perceive Kennedy as going soft on Cuba, and the President became increasingly unpopular with the military, a rift that came to a head during Kennedy's disagreements with the service chiefs over the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} |
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On 3 August 2001, the [[National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba]] (the main legislative body of the Republic of Cuba) issued a statement referring to Operation Northwoods and Operation Mongoose wherein it condemned such U.S. government plans.<ref>[http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/documentos/2001/ing/d030801i.html "Statement by the National Assembly of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba,"] ''[[National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba]]'', 3 August 2001; also available [http://www.asanac.gov.cu/ASANAC/espanol/declaracion%20agosto2001.htm here].</ref> |
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== See also == |
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{{Portal|Government of the United States|Cuba|International relations}} |
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* ''[[Body of Secrets]]'' |
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* [[Gulf of Tonkin incident]] |
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* [[Family Jewels (Central Intelligence Agency)]] |
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* [[Operation WASHTUB]] |
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* [[Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group]] |
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* [[Operation Himmler]] |
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* [[Bay of Pigs incident|Bay of Pigs Invasion]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* Jon Elliston, editor, ''Psywar on Cuba: The Declassified History of U.S. Anti-Castro Propaganda'' (Melbourne, Australia and New York: Ocean Press, 1999), ISBN 1-876175-09-5. |
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* James Bamford, ''Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency From the Cold War Through the Dawn of a New Century'' (New York: Doubleday, first edition, 24 April 2001), ISBN 0-385-49907-8. Here is an [http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/2001cov/11_Sept_2001_-_Another_Operation_Northwoods_ excerpt from Chapter 4: "Fists"] of this book. |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.smeggys.co.uk/operation_northwoods.php The Full Operation Northwoods document] in both [[JPEG]] and fully searchable [[HTML]] format. |
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* High resolution scans from the [http://www.archives.gov/ National Archives], main pages: [http://media.nara.gov/media/images/36/15/36-1469a.jpg 1], [http://media.nara.gov/media/images/36/15/36-1470a.jpg 2], [http://media.nara.gov/media/images/36/15/36-1471a.jpg 3], [http://media.nara.gov/media/images/36/15/36-1472a.jpg 4], [http://media.nara.gov/media/images/36/15/36-1473a.jpg 5] |
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* Scott Shane and Tom Bowman with contribution from Laura Sullivan, [https://web.archive.org/web/20010507171811/www.baltimoresun.com/bal-te.md.nsa24apr24.story "New book on NSA sheds light on secrets: U.S. terror plan was Cuba invasion pretext,"] ''Baltimore Sun'', 24 April 2001. |
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* Ron Kampeas, [http://groups.google.com/group/flora.mai-not/browse_thread/thread/14905a31d5fc0c70/ "Memo: U.S. Mulled Fake Cuba Pretext,"] ''Associated Press'' (''AP''), 25 April 2001. |
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* Bruce Schneier, [http://dir.salon.com/books/review/2001/04/25/nsa/index.html "'Body of Secrets' by James Bamford: The author of a pioneering work on the NSA delivers a new book of revelations about the mysterious agency's coverups, eavesdropping and secret missions,"] ''Salon.com'', 25 April 2001. |
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* David Ruppe, [http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92662 "U.S. Military Wanted to Provoke War With Cuba; Book: U.S. Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize U.S. Cities to Provoke War With Cuba,"] ''ABC News'', 1 May 2001. |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050912001704/http://www.painfuldeceptions.com/Cuba.html "The Truth Is Out There—1962 memo from National Security Agency,"] ''Harper's Magazine'', July 2001. |
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* Chris Floyd, [http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/linkscopy/headcases.html "Head Cases,"] ''Moscow Times'', 21 December 2001, pg. VIII; also appeared in [http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=6194 ''St. Petersburg Times'', Issue 733 (100), 25 December 2001]. |
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* National Security Archive, [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/ "Pentagon Proposed Pretext for Cuba Invasion in 1962"], April 30, 2001. |
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{{Cuba-United States relations}} |
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[[Category:1962 works]] |
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[[Category:1962 in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Cuba–United States relations]] |
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[[Category:Opposition to Fidel Castro]] |
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[[Category:Official documents of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Propaganda in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Terrorism in the United States]] |
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[[Category:False flag operations]] |