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the invasion and establish a beachhead from which a provisional government might be established.* Memorandum No. 1 also noted the developing interest on the part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the anti-Castro plan: JCSM-44-6l ••• in which they [the JCS] recommended the institution of an in- terdepartmental group to consider various courses of action in ascending degree of US involvement, which, after approval by the President, would become an over-all plan Ito oust Fidel Castro] to be supported by subordinate plans prepared by the agencies concerned. This recommendation reached the Secretary of Defense, but appears to have been lost in the activities arising out of the change in the administration. 5/ What the JCS had in mind had been carefully explained by General David Gray of the Joint Staff to C. Tracy Barnes, Mr. Bissell's principal deputy, shortly before the pUblication of JCSM-44-61. Rather than the Agency going it alone, Gray pointed out that the operation should be regarded as a series of increasingly strong actions and a commitment on the part of the US to insure Castro's removal. Included in such actions * There is some indication that as plans for briefing President- elect Kennedy were being made consideration had been given to establishing a joint CIA/DOD force of 1,500-3,000 Cubans to undertake the invasion. Unfortunately the three Agency principals thought most likely to be knOWledgeable of this plan--DDP Bissell, project chief Esterline, and project operations officer Drain--were unable to recall the plan. 184