◆ SpookStack

Te @ K. CLANDESTINE PARAMILITARY OPERATIONS -- MARITIME 1. WH/4 Branch had two separate maritime problems. It needed to transport men and supplies clandestinely to the coast of Cuba by small boats, and it needed ships to transport and Support an amphibious landing of a military force » more or less overtly. This section of the report will be mostly concerned with small boat operations. 2. The WH Division had no assets in beings there was no i Agency element. comparable to DPD to call on; and for obscure reasons the Navy was not asked to provide the help it might have. .WH/4 had to start with nothings there seemed to be very little maritime know-how within the Agency. 3. The original operational plan called for building up r ) a substantial resistance organization, which could be done only if supplies and people were delivered to the right places. During the critical period March-December 1960, WH/% had one boat, the "Metusa Time", a 54-foot pleasure cruiser which was lent to the Agency by a friend. Two maritime operations officers, more or less under deep cover, labored from March to October to outfit this boat and train its crew. 4, The boat went on its first mission on 28 September, offloading 300 pounds of cargo and picking up two exfiltrees. By January it had made five additional trips and transported about five tons, but only one infiltree. It had another successful operation in March 1961 and another in April.