Operation Northwoods was a series of
false flag proposals that originated within the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the
United States government in 1962. The proposals, which called for the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or other operatives, to commit acts of terrorism in US cities and elsewhere, were rejected by the
Kennedy administration.
[2]
At the time of the proposal, Cuba had recently become communist under
Fidel Castro. The operation proposed creating public support for a war against Cuba by blaming it for terrorist acts.
[3] To this end, Operation Northwoods proposals recommended hijackings and
bombings followed by the introduction of phony evidence that would implicate the Cuban government. It stated:
The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba and to develop an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere.
Several other proposals were included within Operation Northwoods, including real or simulated actions against various
US military and civilian targets. The operation recommended developing a "Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington".
The plan was drafted by the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, signed by Chairman
Lyman Lemnitzer and sent to the
Secretary of Defense. Although part of the US government's anti-communist
Cuban Project, Operation Northwoods was never officially accepted; it was authorized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but then rejected by President
John F. Kennedy. According to currently released documentation, none of the operations became active under the auspices of the Operation Northwoods proposals.