◆ SpookStack

eUfeJP SEC RE1 Castro's ability to continue to finance subversive activities in other Latin America areas. President Eisenhower also objected to the focus on economic sabotage, and he would not agree to the plan to identify assets specifically for sabotage operations against the sugar industry. Eisenhower was willing to support a program to identify assets for the sugar industry" and other things as well ... including even possibly things that mCgh~ be drastic." In addition to identifying assets on a broad basis, the President also requested that a comprehensive covert ,. action program be prepared by Hr. Dulles. This, it was suggested, should go to the Special Group; and if they approved the plans, then the President wanted to discuss them. In any event, action on the PM pr~- gram would be delayed until Eisenhower returned from his upcoming Latin American visit and gave his specific approval.* 23/ * The Minutes of the Special Group Meeting of 17 Feb- ruary 1960 also noted that Mr. Joseph Scott 0= State also reported later that Mr. Herter had made exactly the same point. This appears to have been o~e of the few instances where Department of State r~presentatives indicated support for possible direct action programs rather than political solutions to the Cuban problem. - 50 - "TOr' SE~R fT