◆ SpookStack

In addition to Cabell, Esterline also faults Bissell, having pointed out: It was a continual plea to Bissell that we had to destroy all of those planes on the ground. Those air strikes had to go, and it might even have to be ones beyond the programmed points if we didn't get all the aircraft.•.• I really feel from my own recollection that if we [Hawkins and Esterline] had known that we were going to be cancelled out on that very critical air strike, we would have tried to stop the operation, because we knew ••• we expected to lose every ship ••• not just two. 129/ In his recollections of the situation at the time of the cancellation of the D-Day air strike, George Gaines reported that he had just returned from the Puerto Cabezas briefings, and walked into the office in time to be told that the President had cancelled· the D-Day strike. Gaines stated: At that time I told Stan Beerli, and later on, Bissell, that "this thing is doomed. It cannot go if we don't get those airplanes." 130/ When asked if he himself had recommended that the whole operation be called off at that stage, Gaines said: No, ... the President -- when he can- celled it -- did not arbitrarily override everybody. He said unless there are "op- erational reasons" dictating otherwise, - 285 -