</s>176-10030-10085 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 JFK Assassination System Date: 5/5/2016 Identification Form Agency Information AGENCY: NARA AGENCY NUMBER: 176-1030-100085 AGENCY NARA RECORD NUMBER : 176-10300-100095 RECORD SERIES : ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS AGENCY FILE NUMBER :: AGENCY FILENUMBER : ORAC history INTERVIEWES Document Information ORIGINATOR: CITIZEN FROM: TO: Document Information TITLE: ORALHISTORY WITH EDWARD LANSDALE BY DENNIS O'BRIEN DATE: 07/11/1970 PAGES: 123 SUBJECTS: BAY OF PIGS DOCUMENT TYPE: CLASSIFICATION: TRANSCRIPT Not Marked RESTRICTIONS: Not MarkED CURRENT STATUS: Redact Open in Full DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 06/05/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: COMMENTS: Pages 3-21 and 28-34 talk about the Bay of Pigs. Pages 96 and 98 have been sanitized.

Summary  
The document comprises an oral history interview conducted on July 11, 1970, between Edward Lansdale and Dennis O'Brien, detailing Lansdale’s role in U.S. government operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Lansdale discusses his initial meeting with President Kennedy post-inauguration, his position as Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, and his involvement in planning the Bay of Pigs invasion. He describes the transition from a guerrilla operation to a military invasion plan, noting collaboration with CIA officials like Richard Bissell and Allen Dulles, as well as coordination with the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Lansdale critiques the planning process, expressing concerns about feasibility and intelligence gaps on Cuban public sentiment. He also references interactions with Robert F. Kennedy during a Taylor Committee inquiry into Cuban affairs and reflects on interagency bureaucratic conflicts. The interview highlights tensions between the CIA and military over operational responsibilities and the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, which Lansdale describes as a traumatic event influencing government decision-making.  

Key People  
- Edward Lansdale  
- Dennis O'Brien  
- Richard M. Bissell  
- Allen Dulles  
- Lyman L. Lemnitzer (JCS chairman)  
- Robert F. Kennedy  
- James H. Douglas  
- William Bundy  
- McNamara  
- Gilpatric  
- Bobby Kennedy  

Key Locations  
- Alexandria, Virginia (interview location)  
- Cuba  
- Washington, D.C. (government offices)  

Key Events  
- Planning and execution of the Bay of Pigs invasion  
- Meetings with the National Security Council and Joint Chiefs of Staff  
- Interactions with the Taylor Committee  
- Bureaucratic conflicts over intelligence operations  

Key Organizations  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)  
- Department of Defense  
- Office of the Secretary of Defense  
- Operations Coordinating Board (OCB)

JFK Declassified Files

176-10030-10085.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search