Operation Northwoods, if I understand, was a CIA plan to carry out a series of false flag attacks on American citizens and blame it on Cuba. And then to use those attacks as a pretext for war against Cuba. I'm wondering if there's want details that would make this less terrible on the part of the CIA. For example, maybe it was a plan that was created because the CIA just makes tons and tons of plans all the time, but there was never any intention to carry it out.
I don't believe there's any defence regarding Operation Northwoods. It was a heinous plan drafted and signed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lyman Lemnitzer, then rejected by President John Kennedy.
Additionally to Operation Northwoods, under the Operation Mongoose program, the U.S. Department of Defense had a number of similar proposals to be taken against the Cuban regime of Fidel Castro.