Office of the Historian

294. Memorandum for the File0

Washington, January 20, 1962.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE FILE OF DISCUSSION WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL ROBERT KENNEDY, SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1962, 3:00 TO 4:00 P.M.

[Here follows discussion unrelated to Cuba.]

4. McCone brought up the Lansdale paper of January 18th,1 pointing out that the paper was extreme in some regards, most particularly its criticism of the estimate of the Cuban situation. McCone stated that since his estimate was an official DCI paper he would request General Lansdale to support his criticism; McCone also questioned the conclusions in the final paragraph of the paper under Future Plans. No comment was made on the 32 tasks, however, McCone stated that from quick reading he questioned whether many of them could be done in the time schedule, and some of them probably not at all. However, comments on the paper were being prepared and would be submitted.

It was agreed that General Taylor was to call a special meeting of the 5412 committee to be attended by Lansdale and the AG for the specific purpose of discussing this paper. The meeting would be held in all probability on Saturday, January 27.2 Action: McCone should discuss this meeting [Page 723] with General Taylor and the Agencyʼs position on the Lansdale paper prepared well in advance of the meeting and circulated to the appropriate parties concerned.

[Here follows discussion unrelated to Cuba.]

John A. McCone3
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (McCone) Files: Job 80-B01285A, Box 2,DCI (McCone) Memo for the Record, 29 November-5 April 1962. Secret. Prepared by McCone on January 22.↩
  2. Document 291.↩
  3. The meeting was held on January 25. See Document 296.↩
  4. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩