◆ SpookStack

He stated that he may have given Pepe ISan Roman] the impression that the Navy Air CAP .would come in and stay for the duration of the operation rather than advising him that the Navy Air CAP would only be provided for one hour .[on 19 April]. He stated that this had been his 'honest impression, and that he had not purposely misled Pepe. However, in fact, he had given Pepe the wrong impression. 70/ Like Mr. Lynch, who landed on the beach at Playa Giron, Rip Robertson not only led the team marking the landing path at Red beach (Playa Larga) but went ashore to assist with the un- loading and engaged directly in a firefight with Castro's troops. In addition, Robertson's small boat came under direct attack by Castro's aircraft before he got back aboard the LCI Barbara J.* Testimony at the eighth session of the CSG was taken from a CIA communications officer I * Both ~obertson and Lynch submitted detailed reports of their efforts at the landing sites during the course of the invasion - operation. Both were technically in violation of the Presidential restriction about the direct participation of Americans in the operation. Both men subsequently received the Agency's second highest award for valor, the Intelligence Star. In the late 1970's Lynch appeared on a TV program and recounted most of his exper- iences. Robertson was an emergency medical evacuee from Southeast Asia in the 1970's and died shortly following his return to the US. 77