The Cuban Exiles' Press Offensive

In November 1962, a fresh series of news reports citing DRE intelligence about missiles in Cuba began appearing. JFK viewed them as a deliberate provocation to force the U.S. to do something militarily about Cuba. The issue was even debated on the floor of Congress as a litmus test for how committed Kennedy was to overthrowing Castro. A memo written by Richard Helms shows that the CIA's directorate of planning was well aware that the writing was on the wall for Operation Mongoose.