Overview

General Lyman Louis Lemnitzer served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1960 to 1962. He is most notorious for approving Operation Northwoods in March 1962; a top-secret Department of Defense proposal that called for the U.S. military to orchestrate false-flag terrorist attacks against American civilians and military targets; then blame Cuba to justify a full-scale invasion. The declassified documents (released in 1997) revealed proposals including: staging the shooting of civilians in Miami and other Florida cities; sinking a boatload of Cuban refugees (real or simulated); developing a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area and Washington; blowing up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and blaming Cuba; hijacking planes; and orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities. The plan was presented to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and ultimately reached President John F. Kennedy; who rejected it. Kennedy subsequently removed Lemnitzer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in October 1962. Lemnitzer was reassigned as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (1963-1969); where he oversaw NATO's stay-behind networks; which later became associated with Operation Gladio. The Northwoods documents remained classified for 35 years and are considered among the most disturbing revelations about the U.S. military's willingness to orchestrate violence against American citizens for geopolitical objectives. The episode is frequently cited as evidence that false-flag operations have been seriously proposed at the highest levels of the U.S. government.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (2)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports