Ask AI: What was Operation Northwoods?

Operation Northwoods was a proposed plan developed by the United States Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962. The operation aimed to create a series of false-flag events to justify U.S. military intervention in Cuba. These events included simulated or real attacks on American and Cuban civilians and military targets, which would be attributed to the Cuban government to garner public and international support for a war against Cuba. The plan was part of the broader U.S. efforts during the Cold War to counter the influence of the Soviet Union and Communist expansion in the Western Hemisphere, particularly following the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro's rise to power. However, the proposal was never approved. President John F. Kennedy and his administration rejected the plan, and it remained classified until it was revealed to the public in the 1990s through declassified government documents. Operation Northwoods is often cited as an example of how far government agencies might consider going to achieve political and military objectives, raising significant ethical and moral questions about the use of deception and manipulation in international affairs.