Word: helvetia
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...recruiting centers and other political expenses vary from $130,000 monthly to a high of $520,000 last December. As the plans for a frontal invasion took shape, CIA men went to Guatemala and arranged with Rancher-Businessman Roberto Alejos* to use three of his properties-coffee plantations named Helvetia and La Suiza near the town of Retalhuleu, and a cotton farm called San José Buenavista, 35 miles from the Pacific port of San José-as camps to train an army of invasion ("No charge." said Alejos. "Just remember me in Havana"). Through Alejos, the CIA also arranged...
...rumors began to circulate about mysterious goings-on at Retalhuleu, Alejos last winter allowed nosy journalists to visit the Helvetia plantation. Before they arrived, the Cubans were transferred to nearby La Suiza; they were brought back as soon as the visitors left. The recruits got rugged training in jungle, commando and night fighting techniques from a dozen U.S. experts and one Filipino instructor. They learned to use the most modern U.S. weapons-bazookas, recoilless cannon, machine guns. So strict was security that only a few officer B-26 pilots were allowed to visit nearby towns; infantry recruits were confined...