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-fOP SELRE [ Another of the questions which must be addressed in s~tting the stage of the Bay of Pigs operation is the failure of Richard Helms -- at that time Chief of Operat~ons (COPS) for the DDP -- to become more than marginally involved in the Cuban project. Oral inter- views again provided the best explanations, and, con- sequently, are entered into this record in rather full- detail. Dick Drain, who became COPS/WH/4, made the following comments: Helms was COPS [Chief of Operations). Either on his own volition, which I sus- pect or on order -- which I doubt -- Dick Helms completely divorced himself from this thing. I mean absolutely! The one time that I heard from Helms during this entire project was ••. I am sitting down there in my chair, as COPS of the project, on a Monday, having spent the entiregoddamned weekend working with ~ " . '« J/ .' J trying to get an airplane ~nd som~ CUbans out of Montego Bay before the Brits in Jamaica carne back from their long weekend ... I am sitting there con- gratulating myself that the plane is out, and the Cubans are out, and the British are back, and it hasn't hit the fan, and I get a telephone call from Dick Helmsfs long time secretary, "Mr. Helms would like to speak to you." Well, fine .. , well, the whole thing on his part was so .~. to me ... incredibly apolc;etic ... three times he said to me in different parts of the co~versation ... HAs you know, I have nothing to do with this project." What he did have to do with, ever since