Grayston Lynch
 Grayston Lynch     (Spook) | |
|---|---|
 In Route to Bay of Pigs | |
| Born | 1923/06/14 Victoria, Texas |
| Died | 2008/08/10 (Age 85) Tampa, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
Grayston Lynch was a top CIA operative during the 1960's and until 1971 when he joined BNDD/BUNCIN (DEA). | |
Grayston Lynch was a WWII Veteran, Special Forces member and senior CIA officer who later worked for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and the Bureau of Narcotics Counter Intelligence Network.
CIA
(1960-1971) In 1960 Grayston Lynch joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and served under Ted Shackley. Grayston was spent most of his time between Key West and Miami. By 1963 he was conducting paramilitary training of Cuban exiles at JM/WAVE and running commando raids into Cuba for six years. He personally took part in over 100 raids in Cuba.
Bay of Pigs
(1961) Lynch led the Bay of Pigs operation and along with Rip Robertson went ashore with the first wave of Cuban exiles. Grayston fired the first shot that started the actual Bay of Pigs landing.
Congo
1964-1966) Grayston most likely coordinated Western assets with the Congo conflict because of his close proximity to the Congo's CIA officer in charge, Rip Robertson, who led CIA backed Cuban exile troops (trained by Grayston) in support of Col Mike Hoare's direct action against the rebels. Rip Robertson was the #2 CIA man at the Bay of Pigs invasion directly under Grayston Lynch. Both Lynch and Robertson desperately wanted to put an end to Che Guevara and his brand of communist influence who had been reported to be in the Congo at the time.
DEA
BNDD (DEA)
(1971-1973) In 1971 Grayston left CIA and went to work for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (the predecessor of the Drug Enforcement Administration -- DEA). While working there Grayston noticed that many of the people he was finding who were actively smuggling were current or former CIA operatives. Speculation exists that Grayston transferred to BNDD because the CIA was under heavy scrutiny and the most secret CIA operations needed to be carried out under other guises.
BUNCIN (DEACON)
(1973-1978) The CIA and BNDD became joined at the hip with the formation of the Bureau of Narcotics Covert Intelligence Network BUNCIN in December of 1972. Lucien Conein hired Grayston into BUNCIN and Bob Medell requisitioned Grayston Lynch to work directly with him. Lynch's primary task was to identify offshore suppliers of drugs. Grayston had been running secret CIA operations in Cuba and South America for many years and knew the people and areas well. Speculation still exists whether this was Grayston's "cover" and more dubious activities were really being employed. With the advent of Watergate the CIA had to find new financing and more clandestine methods of carrying out operations as the CIA was under a microscope because of the Watergate break-in on June 17, 1972. The narcotics "cover" was a great way to support dirty CIA operations carried out by BUNCIN that CIA could no longer undertake because of the unwanted Watergate scrutiny. BUNCIN became the "wild west" of CIA directed dirty special operations activities.
