MEDIA TREATMANT OF THE BAY OF PIGS ANNIVERSARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403060004-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: April 24, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403060004-8
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WASHINGTON TIMES
24 April 1986
Letters
Media treatment of the Bay of Pigs anniversary
The Washington Times is to be
commended for remembering the
Bay of Pigs' 25th anniversary with a
full-page spread, while The Wash-
ington Post let it pass unnoticed ex-
cept for a column by Haynes John-
son.
In your full page, however, only
one sentence was devoted to the key
factor in the failure of the invasion.
That was in the UPI sto by Mat-
thew umn who said, "Debate is
sion plan was a losing proposition
from the gart or whether American
ri s canceled by Mr. [John F.1
Kenne v wo
chance of success.'
We don't know whether the inva-
sion would have succeeded or not,
but we do know that it was doomed
to failure when President Kennedy
reneged on the commitment made to
the Cuban freedom fighers that Cas-
tro's small airforce would be de-
stroyed prior to the landing.
Half of the planes had been de-
stroyed in one bombing run.
Declassified National Security
Council documents show that Mr.
Kennedy called off the second air
strike that was required to finish the
job. He also refused to order U.S.
Navy planes on a nearby carrier to
provide cover for the invaders. Cas-
tro had control of the skies. He was
able to bottle up the invaders on the
beach and sink two of their ships
that carried needed weapons and
equipment.
It is interesting to note that
Haynes Johnson's column in The
Post didn't mention the cancelation
of the air strike and attributed the
failure of the invasion primarily to
the fact that we misjudged the Cu-
ban people's attitude toward Castro.
He says they regarded Castro as a
hero. The "hero" has never dared put
that to the test of a free vote.
REED IRVINE
mun
Accuracy in Media
Washington
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000403060004-8