Eisenhower library opens Bissell papers

ABILENE, Kan. – The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is releasing some 56,000 pages of documents from the files of Richard Bissell, a former director of plans for the CIA.

The collection is located in the Eisenhower archives in Abilene.

The documents reveal Bissell's thoughts on covert activities and national defense strategy, his education, his work as an economist with the Marshall Plan, and his years in private industry.

Bissell was a key figure in the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba and the development of the U2 aircraft and reconnaissance satellite programs.

Library director Karl Weissenbach calls the collection an indispensable source for anyone studying Bissell's career and the Cold War era.

The papers include Bissell's letters to Eisenhower, CIA Director Allen Dulles and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.