◆ SpookStack

Esterline's failure to get Ydigoras to sign the Status of Forces Agreement must have gone down hard with Agency representatives because of the extreme difficulties that had been encountered in reaching an agreement with the Department of Defense, particularly the Army representatives, to undertake the negotiations in the first place. Richard D. Drain, who was Chief of Operations for the project at the time, in an oral interview with the author, told some other details of the story which are believed worth repeating here be- cause Drain was involved in the negotiations with DOD and was responsible for drawing up the actual agreement which it was anticipated Ydigoras would sign. To the question of whether he had drawn up the agreement, Drain responded: Jesus, yes. On self-destructing paper. Well, this was all typical of the idiocy that prevailed because of the failure of Mr. Nixon to succeed Mr. Eisenhower. From the time the vote was in -- the first Tues- day after the first Monday in November -- up until JFK took the oath on January 20, personnel and the details involved in the negotiations with the GOG at the time. As will be pointed out sub- sequently, what Esterline did sign was the agreement with Carlos Alejos, Guatemalan Ambassador to the United States.