I am not an expert on the whole U.S. visa process, but I do have a friend who overseas the visa office at a U.S. consulate in Asia and I do have another acquaintance who was a CBP officer.
So here is what I do know - never, never NEVER(!!!!) mislead them about what your intentions are when coming to the United States. It is far better to take the appropriate steps and get the visa stuff done the right way the first time. The CBP officers will have access to all of the information you provided when you applied for your visa at the embassy/consulate, as well as notes and other information entered by the officer who processed your visa application.
So if you lie, or mislead them, they can find out. And if they do you will most likely be refused entry and barred from entering the United States for at least five years or longer. Most likely it will be longer - I know of people who made honest and small mistakes who ended up being barred for life. For example there was a woman who was from a visa waiver country (allowed 90 day visits to the U.S. without a visa) and was married to a United States citizen. She entered the United States with the mistaken impression that being from a VW country that she could enter and then apply for residency to be with her U.S. citizen husband. Long story short five years down the road her and her husband are still fighting to try and have her allowed entrance back into the United States after being barred for life.
Anyway I am not trying to scare you about the process. Rather trying to emphasise that the trouble to do it correctly in the first place pales in comparison to the trouble you will face trying to correct doing it the wrong way.