1. 1. Since it would Deem Desirable to use Legitimate Provocation as the Basis for US Military Intervention in Cuba, A Cover and Deception Plan, to include Requisite Preliminary Actions such as had been Developed in Response to Task 33 c, could be Executed as an Initial Effort to Provoke Cuban Reactions. Harassment plus Deceptive Actions to Convince the Cubans of Imminent Invasion would be Emphasized. Our Military Posture throughout Execution of the Plan will allow A Rapid Change from Exercise to Intervention if Cuban Response justifies.
   2. A Series of Well Coordinated Incidents will be Planned to take Place in and around Guantanamo to Give Genuine Appearance of Being Done by hostile Cuban Forces. ^[15]
   3. The United States would Respond by Executing Offensive Operations to Secure Water and Power Supplies, Destroying Artillery and Mortar Emplacements which Threaten the Base.
   4. Commence Large Scale United States Military Operations.

Related Operation Mongoose Proposals

Main article Operation Mongoose

 Cuban Operation Mongoose Project

In Addition to Operation Northwoods, under the Operation Mongoose Program the US Department of Defense had A Number of Similar Proposals for Actions to be Taken against the Cuban Regime of Fidel Castro.

Twelve of these Proposals come from A 2 February 1962 Memorandum entitled “Possible Actions to Provoke, Harass or Disrupt Cuba,” Written by Brigade Geneneral William H Craig and Submitted to Brigade General Edward Lansdale, the Commander of the Operation Mongoose Project.^{[7] [10]}

The Memorandum outlines Operation Bingo, A False Flag Plan to “Create an Incident which has the Appearance of an Attack on US Facilities (GMO) in Cuba, thus Providing an Excuse for use of US Military Might to Overthrow the Current Government of Cuba.”

It Also includes Operation Dirty Trick, Another False Flag Plot to Blame Castro if the 1962 Mercury Manned Space Flight Carrying John Glenn Crashed,Saying “The Objective is to Provide Irrevocable Proof that, should the MERCURY Manned Orbit Flight Fail, the Fault lies with the Communists et al, Cuba [sic].” It continues, “This to Be Accomplished by Manufacturing Various Pieces of Evidence Which Would Prove Electronic Interference on the Part of the Cubans.”

Even after General Lemnitzer lost his Job as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs Still Planned False Flag Pretext Operations at Least into 1963. A Different US Department of Defense Policy Paper created in 1963 discussed A Plan to Make it Appear that Cuba had Attacked A Member of the Organization of American States (OAS) so that the United States could Retaliate. The US Department of Defense Document says of One of the Scenarios, “A Contrived ‘Cuban’ Attack on an OAS Member could be Set Up, and the Attacked State could be Urged to take Measures of Self Defense and Request Assistance from the US and OAS.” ^[16]

The Plan expressed Confidence that by this Action, “the US could Almost Certainly Obtain the Necessary Two Thirds Support among OASMembers for Collective Action against Cuba.” ^{[17] [18]}

Included in the Nations the Joint Chiefs Suggested as Targets for Covert Attacks were Jamaica and Trinidad Tobago. Since Both were Members of the British Commonwealth, the Joint Chiefs Hoped that by Secretly Attacking them and then Falsely Blaming Cuba, the United States could Incite the People of the United Kingdom into Supporting A War against Castro. ^[17] As the US Department of Defense Report noted

“Any of the Contrived Situations described Above are Inherently, Extremely Risky in our Democratic System in which Security can be Maintained, after the Fact, with Very Great Difficulty. If the Decision should be Made to Set Up A Contrived situation it should be One in which Participation by US Personnel is Limited Only to the Most Highly Trusted Covert Personnel. This suggests the Unfeasibility of the Use of Military Units for Any Aspect of the Contrived Situation” ^[17]

The US Department of Defense Report Even Suggested Covertly Paying A Person in Castro’s Government to Stage A False Flag Attack against the United States, “The Only Area Remaining for Consideration then would be to Bribe One of Castro’s Subordinate Commanders to Initiate an Attack on [the US Navy Base at] Guantanamo” ^[17]

Reaction

Kennedy rejected the Northwoods Proposal. A JCS | Pentagon Document, A Memo by Lansdale entitled MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT, 16 MARCH 1962, reads “General Lemnitzer commented that the Military had Contingency Plans for US Intervention. Also it had Plans for Creating Plausible Pretexts to Use Force, with the Pretext either Attacks on US Aircraft or a Cuban Action in Latin America for Which we could Retaliate. The President said Bluntly that we were Not Discussing the Use of Military Force, that General Lemnitzer might find the US So Engaged in Berlin or Elsewhere that he couldn’t use the Contemplated 4 Divisions in Cuba.” ^[19] The Proposal was Sent for Approval to the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, but was Not Implemented.

Following Presentation of the Northwoods Plan, Kennedy removed Lemnitzer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, although he became Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in January 1963. US Military Leaders began to Perceive Kennedy as going Soft on Cuba, and the President became Increasingly Unpopular with the Military. A Rift had Already Reared during Kennedy’s Disagreements with the Service Chiefs over the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 and Flared Up Again with his June 10, 1963 Announcement of A Unilateral US Test Ban Treaty.

Physical Documentation on Operation Northwoods became Declassified through the John F Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. This Act Declassified A Total of Four Million Documents, including Operation Northwoods, and was Made Available through the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. However, Public Knowledge of Operation Northwoods did not come until 2001 with the Release of A Book by the Author James Bamford Titled Body of Secrets. ^[20]

On 3 August 2001, the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba, the Main Legislative Body of the Republic of Cuba) issued A  Statement referring to Operation Northwoods and Operation Mongoose where in it Condemned such US Government Plans .^[21]

See also

1. 2. • Gulf of Tonkin Incident
      • Operation Gladio
      • Family Jewels, Central Intelligence Agency
      • Operation WASHTUB
      • Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group
      • Operation Himmler
      • Bay of Pigs Invasion
      • Operation Sea Spray

References

Further Reading

Jon Elliston, Editor, Psywar on Cubam The Declassified History of US Anti Castro Propaganda, Melbourne, Australia and New York, Ocean Press, 1999, ISBN 1 876175 09 5.

External Links

Wikiquote has Quotations Related to Operation Northwoods.

1. 1. • The Full Operation Northwoods Document in Both JPEG and Fully Searchable HTML Format.
      • High Resolution Scans from the National Archives, Main Pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
      • Scott Shane and Tom Bowman with Contribution from Laura Sullivan, “New Book on NSA sheds Light on Secrets, US Terror Plan was Cuba Invasion Pretext,“ Baltimore Sun, 24 April 2001
      • Ron Kampeas, “Memo, US Mulled Fake Cuba Pretext,” Associated Press, AP, 25 April 2001
      • Bruce Schneier, “‘Body of Secrets’ by James Bamford: The Author of A Pioneering Work on the NSA delivers A New Book of Revelations about the Mysterious Agency’s Cover Ups, Eavesdropping and Secret Missions,” https://salon.com, 25 April 2001
      • David Ruppe, “US Military Wanted to Provoke War With Cuba; Book: US Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize US Cities to Provoke War With Cuba,” ABC News, 1 May 2001
      • “The Truth Is Out There, 1962 Memo from National Security Agency,” Harper’s Magazine, July 2001
      • Chris Floyd, “Head Cases,” Moscow Times, 21 December 2001, Page. VIII , also appeared in St Petersburg Times, Issue 733 (100), 25 December 2001
      • National Security Archive, “Pentagon Proposed Pretext for Cuba Invasion in 1962“, April 30, 2001