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threatened for assistance given the Brigade by Nicaragua should the invasion of Cuba take place. 57/ As the date for the invasion approached and with the approval of Jake Esterline and C. Tracy Barnes Lou Napoli was reassigned (27 March 1961) to Managua on TDY to maintain personal contact with both President and General Somoza on the upcoming operation insofar as it might affect the Nicaraguan government; and like his predecessor, Rip Robertson, Napoli was to confine his activities to Managua and avoid JMTIDE. Napoli expected to do a certain amount of hand-holding on the matter of the loans and make reassuring noises without any firm commitments; and, similarly, he hoped to be able to assure the Nicaraguan government that it would receive support from the US should their Latin American neighbors take umbrage at Somoza's anti-Castro posture. Probably the most significant duty he was to undertake upon his return to Nicaragua was to brief Somoza on the upcoming military operation without, of course, revealing the strike date -- in fact, the instruction indicated that Napoli himself would not know the exact date. ~/ TOP