“After more than twenty years, it appears that fear of exposing the Agency’s dirty linen, rather than any significant security information, is what prompts continued denial of requests for release of these records. Although this volume may do nothing to modify that position, hopefully it does put one of the nastiest internal power struggles into proper perspective for the Agency’s own record.” Tom Blanton — National Security Archive Director

Washington, D.C. October 31, 2016 – The CIA today released the long-contested Volume V of its official history of the Bay of Pigs invasion, which it had successfully concealed until now by claiming that it was a “draft” and could be withheld from the public under the FOIA’s “deliberative process” privilege. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

National Security Archive Director Tom Blanton said:

“Now the public gets to decide for itself how confusing the CIA can be. How many thousands of taxpayer dollars were wasted trying to hide a CIA historian’s opinion that the Bay of Pigs aftermath degenerated into a nasty internal power struggle?”

Archive senior analyst and Cuba Project Director Peter Kornbluh notes:

“We know now why the CIA attempted to cover up this document for so long. It is a vivid historical example of what Pfeiffer called ‘the agency’s dirty linen’ that CIA officials never wanted to air in public.”

REFERENCES

CIA Releases Controversial Bay of Pigs History

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CIA Releases Controversial Bay of Pigs History