Pseudonym: Galbond, Oliver

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952-1954: Guatemala Current Section: Persons and Pseudonyms

"Galbond, Oliver G., pseudonym for Colonel J.C. King....King, Colonel J.C. (Oliver G. Galbond), Chief of the Western Hemisphere Division, Directorate of Operations, Central Intelligence Agency..."

104-10301-10001: EXCERPTS FROM HISTORY: WESTERN HEMISPHERE DIVISION, 1946-1965

Pre-4/61, WH Division History by David R. McLean and approved by WH chief David Phillips in 1973: "Although the separate Task Force W (TFW) was not officially established until 8 March 1962, the planning and execution of the Bay of Pigs operation was for all practical purposes conducted independently of WH Division and therefore not covered in this history. There was an informal but understood shortcut in the chain of command; basic decisions were made at the DDP, DCI or presidential level. Although some of the key personnel were detailed from WH Division, the Cuban Headquarters unit was in another building and no one pretended that J. C. King was running the show. "Jacob D. Esterline, a veteran WH Division officer who later became deputy chief of the division, was chief of the Cuban unit during the buildup and invasion attempt, and took his orders from the DDP. When the Cuban unit was made officially autonomous as TFW and later as the Special Affairs Staff (SAS), it was headed first by William K. Harvey and then by Desmond FitzGerald, Bruce B. Cheever and John L. Hart, none of whom had previous service in WH Division. It was not until 1965 that the Cuban unit really lost its autonomy and again came firmly under WH Division."