</s>104-1019-10182 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 16 February 1970 MEMORANDUM FOR Director of Security SUBJECT Comments on Manuscript Give Us This Day: SUBJECT Cia and the Bay of Pigs Invasion by Edward J. Hamilton 1. This manuscript has evidently been kicking around in publishing circles since at least mid-1968, presumptive without Cia clearance. William Buckley at the National Review seems to have been "chopping" it at one point. One publisher rejected as as "controversial", and noted its "confidential" nature as well as potential for libel suite. 2. In the forward to this manuscript, the author ( whom I shall wider to under his assumed name of the Hamilton, describes the book as a reader to account for Cia's role in the Bay Of Pigs affair in which he was senses. Cia participant written in 19 months. He notes in the foreword his hope that someone would have written this book so that he would not have to do it: now convinced that, if he does not write it, it never never written. he has taken up his pen, "if he does NOT write it it will never be written, Hamilton states that he has used no official files or documents and has in unlimited no one in preparing this work. Where they have been publicly identified before, and in this contention I believe that he is correct, with the possible exception of Jim Noel! Where they claim that this book would provide no information no known to Castro's intelligence service, or that details this late are no value to the opposition, in my view, seriously open to question. 3. The book is, in general, favorable to CIA actions in the bay of The villains in the piece are certain liberal figures in the Kennedy ministration (Schlesinger, Goodwin, Stevenson) and to some extent, President himself, in his concluding chapter, the authors' bitterness is undguised against those in the Administration and the press who took the opportunity of the Bay OF Pigs incident to attack and denigrate CIA. 4. Messer, Bisser, and Barnes and the author's other CIA co- workers in the One Exception by and large, are given quite favorable treatment. One exception is General Cabell, whom the author excorates, and it is apparent that Hamilton's opinion of Jerry Droller is far from RETURN TO CIA Background Use Only EYES CILY Do Not Reproduces 170

Summary:  
The document is a memorandum from the Director of Security to the CIA regarding a manuscript titled *Give Us This Day: CIA and the Bay of Pigs Invasion* by Edward J. Hamilton. The memo discusses the manuscript's potential release, its content about CIA operations during the 1960 Bay of Pigs invasion, and internal CIA debates over its publication. It notes that the author, Hamilton, claims to have written the book without using official files or documents, focusing on his personal experiences as a CIA operative. The text critiques certain Kennedy administration figures (e.g., Schles, Goodwin, Stevenson) and highlights tensions between CIA and White House officials during the Bay of Pigs planning. It also references interactions with Cuban exiles, training operations in Guatemala, and logistical challenges for the invasion. A second document discusses Hamilton's criticisms of post-invasion attacks on CIA by Administration officials and the press. It references the President's establishment of the Taylor Committee to investigate failure, with a conclusion that the Committee was intended to "Wutkovan" the Now Froostor by implicating him in CIA guilt. The only exception to these attacks was Charles Murphy's favorable article in September 1961 Fortme, which Hamilton attributes to a high administrative official who had for mamie. The President approved this article. Hamilton also alleges that an CIA Chief of Cuba Operations was removed due to incompatibility with Robert Kennedy. The text includes references to Admiral Burke as P.P. Private and mentions a secret eyes only designation.  

Key People:  
- Edward J. Hamilton (author of the manuscript, former CIA operative)  
- Richard Bissell (CIA official involved in the Bay of Pigs project)  
- Tracy Barnes (CIA officer mentioned as a collaborator with Hamilton)  
- Jim Noel (CIA figure criticized by Hamilton for his role in Cuban operations)  
- Ambassador Robert F. Kennedy (U.S. ambassador to Cuba, referenced in context of political tensions)  
- Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (Kennedy administration official, criticized by Hamilton)  
- John F. Kennedy (President of the United States, mentioned in relation to White House dynamics)  
- Charles Murphy (journalist, author of favorable article in September 1961 Fortme)  
- Admiral Burke (referenced as P.P. Private)  

Key Locations:  
- Havana, Cuba (site of CIA operations and diplomatic interactions)  
- Guatemala (training base for Cuban exiles, referenced as a key logistical hub)  
- Miami, Florida (location of CIA operations and Hamilton’s residence under an assumed name)  
- Costa Rica (mentioned in context of potential exile support networks)  

Key Events:  
- Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961), discussed as a central event in the manuscript  
- CIA planning for Cuban exile operations, including training and logistics  
- Internal CIA debates over the publication of Hamilton’s manuscript  
- Political tensions between CIA and Kennedy administration officials during the invasion planning  
- Establishment of Taylor Committee to investigate failure of Bay of Pigs Invasion  
- Removal of CIA Chief of Cuba Operations due to incompatibility with Robert Kennedy  
- Publication of favorable article in September 1961 Fortme  

Key Organizations:  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), central to the manuscript’s focus on operations  
- U.S. Department of State, referenced in interactions with Cuban exiles and diplomatic efforts  
- Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (implied through references to Castro and exile groups)  
- Joint Chiefs of Staff, mentioned in assessments of invasion readiness  
- Taylor Committee, established by President John F. Kennedy to investigate Bay of Pigs failure

JFK Declassified Files

104-10119-10182.pdf

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