Kill Fidel: Overview of the Plots To Assassinate Fidel Castro

When Fidel Castro was elected Prime Minister of Cuba in 1959, the United States saw red. The new leader was fiercely anti-American, and those in power worried that he might align himself with the Soviets. This was right at the chilliest point of the cold war, and the threat of a Soviet satellite in the western hemisphere kept United States officials awake at night.

The solution? Simple: Kill him. In 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower set up Operation Mongoose.

The purpose was to get rid of Castro by any means necessary. This was no small job; 400 CIA agents were employed full-time in the operation!

The first idea was not a new one. They would train a paramilitary guerilla force inside Cuba to take the leader out. But, due to the overwhelming popularity of the leader, this seemed impossible.

Something more drastic would need to be done.

The Mafia

First, the CIA hired the Mafia to take out Castro. This, actually, was probably the best idea they had. The Mafia had a beef with Castro because he had kicked them out of the country. Under Batista, casinos and brothels flourished in cities like Havana. The Mafia were anxious to overthrow Castro and get back to the good old days.

On the other hand, if Castro were killed by the Mafia, the CIA could wash their hands of it. They worked with the FBI and offered the Mafia a certain amount of immunity in the United States in exchange for Castro.

As mobsters stateside got used to the FBI's new leniency, they strung the CIA along. They felt that the death of Castro would not stop the revolution, but they kept telling CIA agents that things were looking good, so that they could keep the protection.

Operation Freedom

In 1960, Dwight Eisenhower left the presidency and John F. Kennedy became president. Kennedy appointed the job of getting rid of Castro to his brother, Robert Kennedy, and the program underwent a name change to become "Operation Freedom."

Under Operation Freedom, the plot to kill Castro became a cartoon with exploding cigars and poisoned scuba suits. After the disastrous Bay Of Pigs Invasion, it was felt that stronger (stranger) measures would need to be taken.

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Have A Cigar!

During a United Nations meeting at which Castro attended, someone working for the CIA managed to slip a poison cigar into his cigar case. The dictator was fond of cigars, and the CIA thought it would be a sure fire way to knock him off, but someone figured it out before Castro had a chance to light up.

As unbelievable as it sounds, CIA agents had planned to give Castro an exploding cigar. This comic strip cartoon plot never went into action, but it was seriously considered. Another idea was to slip Castro a psychedelic cigar, laced with hallucinogens. The idea was that after he smoked it, he would become a stoned mess and everybody would wonder about his sanity.

Let's Go Diving!

Castro was fond of scuba diving. The CIA thought this might be a way in. They sprayed a scuba suit with tuberculosis and a skin disease called madura foot, and gave it to a United States lawyer who was going to Cuba to negotiate for the release of prisoners from the Bay of Pigs. At the last minute, the lawyer didn't do it, because he felt it would be too obvious a plot and would cause a national embarrassment to the US.

Another capital idea was to set a trap at one of his favorite diving spots. The trap would be an exploding conch shell. This is probably the most famous plot to kill Castro, and it wasn't carried out because planners thought it would be far too difficult to prepare.

Shoot Him!

The plots to kill Castro weren't all so bizarre. The CIA sent Cuban exiles and agents to Cuba with telescopic rifles to take out Castro the old fashioned way, but no one could ever get close enough to do it.

When one of his former guards turned against him and offered to kill him, the CIA gave him a fountain pen full of poison. It would work like a syringe, shooting poison out of its tip. This plot was foiled, too.

Fabian Escalante, who was close to Castro and his head of security, has written a book claiming that there were 638 plots to kill Castro. Some estimates are as high as 670. Of all the figures throughout history, probably none have had so many assassination attempts made on their life. In spite of all of them, Castro lived on and ruled Cuba for more than 40 years.

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