◆ SpookStack

ile In another case the coordinates given for a drop zone were in the ocean. Reception parties proposed to mark the drop zone with various bizarre and impractical patterns, such as: two red lights and one white light about 15 feet apart moving clockwise; an arrow 50 meters long with lights at two-meter intervals; lights in the form of a straight line with a sign in the middle lit up with Christmas lights (on this one, the crew at one point mistakenly identified cars on a road as the drop-zone signal); two crosses side by side; a triangle of three lights with a fourth light in the center. In some areas there were so many small lights in the vicinity that no pattern could be located. For one drop the agents made four proposals in rapid succession: no lights, a nine-man cross, & line of five bonfires, a 60-meter line of colored flash- lights. 12. The standard light patterns taught by paramilitary instruc- tors and generally accepted as best, were (a) an "L" of lights; (b) a "TD" of 5 lights; and (c) e cross of 6 lights. All lights should be 15 to 25 yards apart, with one light different from the others. 13. The Cuban air crews must share the blame for the failures, @s must their trainers. Policy did not allow American observers to go along on the missions to correct the errors. Pilot disci- pline was lacking and instructions were not followed in numerous instances.