When people think of the Cold War, they often imagine political tension, nuclear arms races, and espionage. However, hidden in the annals of history (and previously in the CIA servers) lies a little-known, but alarming, military proposal known as Operation Northwoods.

This secret U.S. plan, developed during the early 1960s by The United States, called for drastic measures, including acts of terrorism, to justify military intervention in Cuba.

What did this operation entail? Did they actually do it?

What Was Operation Northwoods?

Operation Northwoods was a top-secret proposal crafted by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962. The plan aimed to create a pretext for military action against Fidel Castro’s Cuba by orchestrating false flag operations—covert actions designed to look like they were perpetrated by someone else.

The Origins of Operation Northwoods

The Cold War was at its peak, and the U.S. government was growing increasingly concerned about Cuba’s alignment with the Soviet Union. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, the U.S. military sought new ways to address what it saw as the growing communist threat just 90 miles from American shores. This led to the creation of Operation Northwoods as part of a broader strategy to instigate war with Cuba.

To stop communism from spreading, of course.

Key Objectives of Operation Northwoods

The goal of Operation Northwoods was simple: to generate public and international support for military action against Cuba. The document explicitly states that “the ultimate objective is overt military intervention".”

To achieve this, the U.S. military planned to execute a series of deceptive events designed to make it appear as though Cuba was attacking the United States or its allies.

False flag operations were the cornerstone of Operation Northwoods. These actions would involve:

• Attacking U.S. or allied ships and aircraft

• Blowing up buildings

• Orchestrating “Cuban” attacks on American citizens—when, in reality, these events would be staged by the U.S. military itself.

• Sabotage U.S. military equipment

• Stage assassinations of Cuban exiles

If you want to see the full list, just look at the screenshots below:

The idea was to paint Castro’s regime as a direct threat to American security, thereby justifying a full-scale military response.

The Role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Operation Northwoods had the backing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking military officers in the U.S. Armed Forces. These leaders believed that drastic measures were necessary to address the “Cuban crisis.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer, approved Operation Northwoods and submitted it to the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. The plan was designed to be carried out in secret, with the aim of ensuring that the U.S. public would never know the truth behind the orchestrated events.

President John F. Kennedy’s Response

Upon reviewing the plan, President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara rejected it outright.

Kennedy, already wary of military intervention following the Bay of Pigs disaster, refused to endorse a plan that involved deceiving the American public and putting innocent lives at risk.

Operation Northwoods never saw the light of day. At least, not in the way it was outlined and brought to President Kennedy.

After Kennedy’s rejection of Operation Northwoods, the Joint Chiefs of Staff continued to explore other avenues for dealing with Cuba. However, Lemnitzer’s reputation took a hit, and he was eventually reassigned to a different role.

What other role?

A General Scorned

Lemnitzer was reassigned to serve as the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from 1963 to 1969. Lemnitzer's role in NATO coincided with the coordination of Operation Gladio. Gladio involved the establishment of clandestine paramilitary networks across Europe, funded and supported by NATO and the CIA.

That’s correct: A military unit with no ties to any specific country.

If people wonder what the “Deep State” is, this is it.

According to several Western European researchers, the operation involved the use of assassination, psychological warfare, and false flag operations to delegitimize left-wing parties in Western European countries, and even went so far as to support anti-communist militias and right-wing terrorism as they tortured communists and assassinated them, such as Eduardo Mondlane in 1969.

Between 1963 and 1969, when Lemnitzer was Supreme Allied Commander, Operation Gladio was busy:

• 1964: In Italy, the secret stay-behind army Gladio is involved in a silent coup d’état when General Giovanni de Lorenzo in Operation Solo forces the Italian Socialist Ministers to leave the government.

• 1965: In Austria, police forces discover a stay-behind arms cache in an old mine near Windisch-Bleiberg and force the British authorities to hand over a list of 33 other MI6 arms caches in Austria.

• 1966: In Portugal, the CIA sets up Aginter Press, which, under the direction of Captain Yves Guerin Serac, runs a secret stay-behind army, training its members in covert action techniques, including bomb terrorism, silent assassination, subversion techniques, clandestine communication, and infiltration and colonial warfare.

• 1966: In France, President Charles de Gaulle denounces the secret warfare of the Pentagon and expels the European headquarters of NATO. As the military alliance moves to Brussels, secret NATO protocols are revealed, allegedly protecting right-wingers in anti-communist stay-behind armies.

• 1967: In Greece, the stay-behind army Hellenic Raiding Force takes control of the Greek Defence Ministry and starts a military coup d’état, installing a right-wing dictatorship.

• 1968: In Sweden, a British MI6 agent closely involved with the stay-behind army betrays the secret network to the Soviet secret service KGB.

• 1969: In Mozambique, the Portuguese stay-behind army Aginter Press assassinates Eduardo Mondlane, President of the Mozambique liberation party and leader of the FRELIMO movement (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique).

• 1969: In Italy, the Piazza Fontana massacre in Milan kills sixteen and injures eighty, with blame placed on the left. Thirty years later, during the trial of right-wing extremists, General Giandelio Maletti, former head of Italian counter-intelligence, claims that the massacre was carried out by the Italian stay-behind army and right-wing terrorists on the orders of the CIA, to discredit the Italian Communists.

Declassification and Public Revelation

Operation Northwoods remained hidden from the public eye for decades. It wasn’t until the 1990s, following the release of declassified documents, that the public learned about this chilling military proposal.

In 1997, Operation Northwoods was officially declassified and made available to the public, sparking outrage and raising questions about how far the U.S. government was willing to go to achieve its foreign policy goals.

Public trust in the government was eroded, which had already been shaken by events like Watergate and the Vietnam War.

Not everything done in the name of national security is ethical or transparent.

Why Is Operation Northwoods Important Today?

Operation Northwoods is a critical reminder of the dangers of unchecked military power and the importance of government transparency. It highlights the lengths to which some officials (or groups) were willing to go to secure their objectives, even at the cost of truth and morality.

The tactics outlined in Operation Northwoods are eerily similar to modern propaganda techniques used in conflicts worldwide. From false flag operations to staged events, deception in warfare remains a concern in today’s political landscape. And if you think that they are not using these tactics today, then you are playing right into their hands.