Concurrently in the novel, a cadre of
CIA agents disillusioned by Kennedy's perceived failure to adequately support the
Bay of Pigs invasion hatch a plot to stage an assassination attempt and blame it on the Cuban government. The chief conspirators in the CIA are Win Everett, Lawrence Parmenter and Guy Banister. The conspiracy grows to encompass several largely independent factions, including organized crime figures in
New Orleans and a contingent of Cuban exiles in
Miami. Although at first they planned to intentionally miss the President, at some point it is decided that the gunman should aim to kill.