◆ SpookStack

Use of the words "question," "answer," and "statement" make a positive I.D. of witness, CSG member, or other attendees at a . given session difficult to impossible. As an example, there is a page and a half of questions, requests, answers, suggestions, and responses by unidentified individuals which precedes the testimony of Col. Jack Hawkins, the first witness specifically identified--and the principal witness--at the third meeting of the Cuban Study Group.* Among the principal concerns of the third meeting were the planned air operations in support of the anti-Castro Cubans. This discussion evoked some questionable responses from both Col. Hawkins and Col. Stanley Beerli, Acting Chief of DPD, the Agency's air arm. In response to a query about the failure to put Castro's T-33 jet trainers out of action and the failure to use napalm in the attack on the three Cuban airfields on D-2, Hawkins said that the prohibition against napalm was an internal CJ,A decision. In fact, the prohibition against the use of napalm was the derivative of protecting the theory of plausible deniability--Castro had no napalm in his inventory. Additionally, Hawkins was out of bounds with his comment about being surprised * Beginning with the third meeting the official record omitted the distribution list ~or copies of the record. In addition to the four CSG members, copies of the record of the first and second meetings had been sent to General Gray, Mr. Bissell, Colonel King and Jake Esterline. " , " .., I 44-