Was the Bay of Pigs Sabotaged?

[Tim Gratz]

Talk about a revisionist theory.

Daniel Sheenan of the Christic Institute offered the theory that JFK never cancelled the air support for the Bay of Pigs, but it was done behind his back, either to humiliate him or to sabotage the operation. Thence the firings of people such as Dulles, Bissell, Cabell, etc. I think I read a similar thesis from another source as well. This seems to go against all of the history books, however. Is it possible there is any merit to this scenario?

[Dawn Meredith]

Talk about a revisionist theory.

Daniel Sheenan of the Christic Institute offered the theory that JFK never cancelled the air support for the Bay of Pigs, but it was done behind his back, either to humiliate him or to sabotage the operation.  Thence the firings of people such as Dulles, Bissell, Cabell, etc. I think I read a similar thesis from another source as well.  This seems to go against all of the history books, however.  Is it possible there is any merit to this scenario?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

________________________

Sheenan has been over the years a very good analyst of political events. Where is this particular theory found ?

Thanx,

Dawn

[Tim Gratz]

Dawn, I got it from a lengthy review of films and dvds re the assassination. Sheenan was in one of the films and the reviewer summariozed his comments. I'll try to find a reference to the film. If I recall it was vintage 1992.

Best!

Edited February 10, 2005 by Tim Gratz

[Shanet Clark]

Tim

This is little more than a scenario.

It would go like this:

Jack "Okay Okay send in the damn air support"

Mac "Oh no sir that has already been decided. No air cover, it would start WWIII"

Jack "Okay then damnit what do you want me to do?"

Mac "There is nothing we can do, sir."

Otherwise this story is way off base, not a central, leading approach to the BOP certainly...

[Tim Gratz]

I have read (somewhere) that it was McBundy who decided to cancel the air support, without presidential authority. No idea of the truth of the story.

[Pat Speer]

This theory makes no sense in light of all the CIA bile aimed at Kennedy and Rusk for cancelling the strike. What is rarely reported, and what could point towards a deliberate act of sabotage on someone's part is that when Kennedy did in the end relent and allow for a second strike, the CIA and the NAVY failed to synchronize their watches and arranged for air cover an hour before the B-26's flown by the Alabama National Guard were to arrive, by which time the Navy jets were long-gone..

More likely, however, this was just another in a long line of blunders...

[Tim Gratz]

Pat, I am suggesting that I read somewhere that McBundy canceled the air strike without presidential authorization. JFK may have backed up his aide. This is, I admit, a different scenario than the one suggested by Daniel Sheenan, at least it appears to be.

[Pat Speer]

Pat, I am suggesting that I read somewhere that McBundy canceled the air strike without presidential authorization.  JFK may have backed up his aide.  This is, I admit, a different scenario than the one suggested by Daniel Sheenan, at least it appears to be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, the official story is that Rusk convinced JFK to call it off after the media recognized that the Cuban plane supposedly stolen by a defector was in fact a CIA prop. Adlai Stevenson, who'd defended the legitimacy of the plane at the U.N., had blown his top and yelled at Rusk when this was revealed. When JFK called it off Cabell relented, and Bissell didn't see the point in arguing. In his memoirs Bissell says he regrets his inaction, and realizes he let a lot of people down, including Kennedy, by putting his tail between his legs. Hunt, and Esterline, among others, blamed Cabell more than Kennedy, as he should have known how important the strike was and should have told Kennedy the consequences of cancelling the strike. Instead, he just argued for awhile and then said okay, whatever, you're the Pres, never realizing or letting on that the operation was thereafter doomed.