I JET COULD HAVE SAVED THE DAY, SAYS GENERAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200370002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 8, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

Principals tell inside story of Bay of PlAs invasion attempt.
CPYRGHT
STATINTL
Have Saved ;
il Jet Could the DaySays General
, HT_
BY PETER REICH o owing disclosure en tc Ro_5 Allielical, of ilia
Av1anon writer I roe American
A single American jet fighter . lion of 1961, Maj. Gen. David W. Hutchinson [ret.1 for
might have turned the tide of
victory in the Bay of Pigs l tion. Chicago's American interviewed the generaf by
fiasco, a retired air force gen- long-distance telephone.
oral said today..-
lie is Maj. Gen. David W.
Hutchinson, now an oil man in I driven B-26 bombers, but he bama air national guard took
Oklahoma City. Hutchinson was asserted: leaves of absence in 1961 to
commanding general of the 9th "IL is help train the Cuban Invaders..
my personal opinion He said they draw their pays
tactical air force at Shaw air 'that a qualified officer like Gen- from the Central Intelligence
base in South Carolina in 1961. Doster would not have sent un- agency [CIA].
The 9th air force had. super- ! protected B-26s against prob-1
ision of the Alabama Air Na- able jet fighter interception." 'Five of Men Killed'
:ionrl guard. Brig. Gen. G. 'Explained Mission' Gen. Hutchinson related:
Reid Doster, the guard's cornGen. Hutchinson insisted that "Gen. Doster came to my;
manding general. has been the regular air force had noth- office and asked if he and
identified as in charge of lac- ing to do uith the Bay of Pigs about a dozen of his B-26 pilots
tit al air operations tt the Bay could be given leave so they
operation. However, he said.
of Pigs "Gen. Doster came to me and I might go out of the country for
one Plane Could :eve it explained what his mission four or five months.'They took
(y their leaves on civilian status.
h
Gen. Hutchinson 1 !clared: w?s_"
id C I "When Gen. Doster got back,
inson sa
H
4 B lt'r f'l ItSONS newspapers is true-that s'tn' American tpiiota n< "" talked to anyone. He was heart
invaders' bomber f'r y? was d asserting: for the rebels: 1 broken. Five of his men had
strayed b} two tr. ~- r t a g ty >,? asserting: been killed, and :all of their
jet aircraft fitted t~ '1. atachine Four have been identified. efforts went up in the air in
guns-then one au f>>'ce jet, I don't know who the fifth man a matter of minutes."
fighter plane court 'N %t? t+ved :was, and I did not say he was
the whole operation' lost in action-I said he was 'Plenty to Tell'
Gen. flutchin_.on said t ? could lost at some time during the Gen. Hutchinson said he feels
Sanitize s A i 19ro V~ ''F'de t er,e~.s~ Q7~~,Q0~N 9f~n082'03 '66&i
has c.n relx~rtN nrJ:t
fighter ,unpo~ for iu~ pr r + . ' ~ r en hornher pilots of the Ata '.t:F3