CIA PLOTS TO KILL FIDEL CASTRO

8/14/2019 CIA PLOTS TO KILL FIDEL CASTRO

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T h e r e hctS been r t :curr ing s p c c ; u : . ~ i o n that. the So\•ic:l Unior..

;o.Hcl/oJ.· u b ~ p ~ L t c h c c l Lee Harvey Oswald on his 1 n i s ~ i 0 1 lo

. s i ~ s s i n : ~ . t e Pres i d en t Jolm } ~ . I < e m ~ c d y . Recent ly , in cona er.i. ion

with the invest igat ion of Cli\ renewed cu r rcn q • has been givca the

- ·' • Is n ~ c i . A ~ a t o n tha t F i d ~ l C : " ~ s t r o orclcr6·c Pn:s tc tent I ~ c n n c c J : , r : : > ; ~ s : - . • t : . - . t i . . 0 r .. -

-.

i n rc t2. l ia tion for plan > to assass ina te him. This is t ied to repor t s

that CIA flannecl Ca s t ro 1 :i assass ina t ion , follow e d by the specu la t ion

•that c ~ s t r o l e a r n ~ d of t and .that th is prov·ided the motivat i o: J. fer.:

.

the e . 'cn t 's tha t f o l l o w ~ d .

T h e fact is that CIA dic1 plcLn C c. s t ro 1s a s ~ : . t . s s i n a l i o n in l lt(;

ea r ly 19(•0s , ancl the purpose of this p < .per is to consider what C<'..stro

could hav'- l ~ a r n e d abor:t the planning th < . t a c t u ~ l l y took th< : f o n n o

a t t emp t s to mount an opet·o.tion ~ g a i n s t ~ i r p Th_s P ~ r ( e r ~ l ~ C _ C S t . ~ i . l y... .. -

i s specu la t ive , as a r c the suggest ions of a c a u s e - ~ n d - e f f c c t r l : :_,:•tio;'l-

sh ip h e two2 e n plans and F.:-esicllml Kennedy's death, but ~ t · c - ~ r e

som#; facts on Ylhi<:h lo ba ie con3idcr: t t ion of the ques t ion.' .

. . ' . .

01 e facto : ' thC'.t con -db; .•l · s to th e, clirli c;•.t l lr o f _ L l t ~ ; ::p.:·, ·t l l ; t : i \ :e

. .



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i < , ~ t · r ~ lo lint•: : :•.t ~ · · • l t ~ hllt•\ . c ~ ~ : . l n , ' : : · l l . r ' : - : ~ : ~ : ~ ~ · ~ d

g1·oup.:; , and it. was not u n u : ; u ~ l for th e m to c laim. CU\ suppor t

whether they had i t o r not - - . and i t is cer tain that there was . l i t t le

undcrstz . temcnt in thei r de icl:ipt ion o f their plans or thei r c l c t h ~ : : ;

o f achievements . Among the t h ~ n g they sz.id _.:. undoubtedly repor l cdI

.to Cas t ro y ~ i t . : Cuban in td l igcnce se rv ice , which had P . < . . : n e ~ r a t e d

the emi g re cor:ununity - - \ 't< l.S ta lk of p l a n ~ Casl1·o h i m : : : ; ~ l f ~

h ~ Cor1n th"-t th e::::;e repor t s ·took v r h ~ r - . th ey reached C astl ·o cz..nn::>t

be s ta ted with anr cer ta in ty , hnt the fact tnu s t be ac(:- 4>tcd. that s l ' . . C ~ .

i n o r ~ . : - t i o n w:Js repor ted lo him, u n r c l c . ~ ~ d tl10ngh it \ V< ..S to C ..cluz-.1

plans o f CIA.

Se01tc.mber 1960 - lvfc:.y 1961

The f i r s t recorded CIA plan to at tempt the assass ina t ion of

vhere t . gambl ing bu:::;iness was st i l l O?erz.ting. A Syndicate m e t n b ~ r

t·ozn L::>s .1\ngdc::s - - who .:-e6aiw' d ac:tive in this opera t ion th ro\tg:l.

roicl-19£•3 - - , u · ~ · a \ ~ g c d an introducti.or1 to e rt P MlU-<.... . .

u h ~ n.~ a r n h l i n g i n t < n : ; . t ~

thro•.1c:h ar n c : n h c ~ r

ofC l n r . : a ~ o S ~ l l d i c : ; , : - c

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' r l l " " ~ t rtt l\ l t '''cvr;t·, h ~ d alt·eadv lo '; l his l'(J i l ion v;ilh lite Pr i rn c:• • , . J

Mints t c r ' s <Jf ficc : <•.ncl L·cturnccl the pill i c.• f tcr

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C t : ~ m m c n t ::

h ~ v e a d ~ n i n i s t c r c d tht::: poi :;on to C2..slro ' < . · a ' . e r 1

p a r t .in the plot fo::: practir.:al cons: : · - ~ t i o o (

per o n ~ l sa r: ty •

Fur the r , i t is unlikely that the S ~ , : n d i c : a t < . : m ~ n 1 b ~ r s

cng:1ged in loo s e tcdk that might have resul ted in fl

icak concerning t h ~ plan.

At the t ime only a few k '1cw of the p l : - . n i t

.served their pnrpo ie to not c.lisclo:-c the info 1 ~ t i o n

,. . .

In l a l : c t ~ A p i n l ' J 6 l l h ~ Sync.liciltt:: e p : - ~ ~ i · , l< 1cn ti ficd

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.

in .Anti-C<'. itro activitie:::;~ f - d

t.'lc cov' r s tory ;.·;ould hc>.ve bt.:cn credible

to him. The Los .l\..ngelc:: r . 1 e r n b ~ : r or t h ~ Synclic::ttc took over tlli :i

'bel ieved to 'have an asse t insid e Cuba who wo1·ked in a res taurant

f requent e d by Cas t ro whe1·c i t q : > ~ G t c d th<1t he co\dd jn s cri:' .

tl1e pi l ls into his l 'ood or drink. It a p p ~ r s lhat the schctne f ~ i . 1 c d.

the Ba}' · . igs lhc rc -.va .i a s t ? - l u l d O \ in thl5 opcr<'-tio.'l.

C o r n m ~ n i : : 'Vhilc l i t t le s l ~ n O ' . n of the ch.:liYcry c h n n e

beyond tl:.c. c;cilc l c a d ~ . r this < ' - r r ~ - ~ g app ear s

to have clt pendecl 0:1 an individua l ins ide Cub < , whe>

obviously , :ew ~ b o u t a· plar: to assass ina te Cu.stro by

poison. The pc.:opJ.c whu p p r o c h ~ d the c . x i l ~ l e a d ~ r:

were m ernbers o£ th:::: Syndic: .tc, which app?..rc ntly.

. ' . .alrc:atTy h a d c o n t a c ~ with him. f the: rni>.n 'i-:. t h ~

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son-in-1<'-w, V/ith who1n he: h ~ c l l o s e : < ' - s ~ o d < . t i o n : ;

dur ing t h ; ~ t per iod, p r o b ~ b l y "J lCW o lhe acti\ ' i ty h;. t

the t n t ~ detai ls v e r e n ~ 1norc avai lable to hin1 than to

the fa ther- in-b. \ ·.t. I t \vonld not have been ilnlJOS j .hlc

s tory in the Miatni Cuban community , with d r< matie

embelli . : : ;hments; ho\vevcr , at tr ibut ion to the U.S ••

Government \'fOUld have h a d to be ~ n . ; J p l i e c l as the co;,·e:r

s to ry did not, o f i tse lf , < [ford t h ~ b2-sis for St} Ch a

cone u s ion •.

r i l 196?.

.

The ea r l i e r ~ . . : i l e : : mech a :1isr. :as react ivated in t .pr i l l962.

by a n ~ w CIA ca::;e officer •.v - o t o o ~ over t h ~ cont?.cts \Vith lhe L o s

Angeles S y n c l : i . c a ~ ~ memhc r . N C\v· pil ls w ~ ~ e p rC'parcd. the fir:5 t

.se t hadng been des t royed . This •. '"ort ~ e m s to have st< .rted

with a rcviv"-l of the r e ~ t a u r < m t sc:hcn-H:: that had f::1ilo::cl p r ( v i o u ~ l y .'

· rhc: c ·..-:ilc c a - : h ~ l : ' ~ l ; o q : ~ q u c . ~ t c r . l a n n ; t: .ncl eq11il'rnr:-nt. T l t ~ ~ l v..-hich

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'}itnit;.H : th '; 5Hpptr o ill rn:; t l.1 tL: .l C C J : · n n v . : r c i : ~ l l ) · C . . V ~ . l J : ~ h l o : . . : \ \ · ' - ' - ~

·On 21 June 1962 i l w;:t . : rcport-::cl that a tc:am of three m<l.' l h: .cl

beeh dispatched to Cuba. These men were to recn.t i t others to car r

out any plan that developed, t?. d"g lhc opporttmity to ac t i the

occasion presented i t sel f . ' 'he nc.rnes of these men a r e not known,

if in [net t h ~ y · cx.ist':: cL

tl1em.·.

Alldition<>.lly thre<: ~ o -cc.lled 1ni l i t ia r:1cn were scheduled to

be dispc.tched tc• Cu t><, by the ex:i.h: h:2.clc:.<·, in Scpte1nb<:r l9G2 . with

the ·reported assign1nent of penetrating CZt.st1·o s body[ft.tZ .rd h ~ 1 · e\Yel ·c c o n t i n . . . v ~ d d-=-l:2ys ir1 the dcpa?.:ture of th " se incUvidu2..ls «.l ..d i l

i s doubtful that ther ever lef t on thei·· nuss ion.

In Fcbru::.ry 1963 tlte Syndic<,Le go-bct\veen was to ld tha t th::

operat ion would be t ennina ted . -Consideration W< ..S given as to how

to pl1ase out the relat ionship with thz exile leader Yvithout C 2 > ~ s i n g an

:at clition;:tl clif[icultie::;. h ~ l as t :face-to-.face meet_;_ng ~ c t , - . . - e e n th.::

CIA o£ficcr ;:tn;l the Sy-mlicate reprcsentat i , -c was in .Tu lc 19u3.

'·comment: The cover .for the operat ion coati.:-tuc:d to

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• • • •• , l . . . •)11 \ : l ( . . • J.,. L.l l lM. The l l ~ r C l ' r : H ~ l l . \".'ltn rClJOrtcc. )· \ ~ t e l · : ~

they knew, bu t . ·.m. wh;:;.t is k.nown of the c:.rrc.nr;ements

the basis fo1 · doing so \"V2.S non-cx.islcnt..

In adclition to the e>:ilc le;:tdcr and his s o n - i n - 1 < ~ . w ,

one new pcrson' lEty was introc1uced : : : ~ the: o p " ' r a ~ o n ,

apparent ly a sl bordinate of.thc Syndicate c o n ~ · ~ ·t. -through whom the CIA office L dealt -.,vith the e ~ , ~ ~ . .

l eader . He prob<,Lly knew that the U.S. Gov,:,rnment

was involved.

'..

:

This phase of the plan intretluced ncv.' indiviclu<:>.ls ~ •

knew of a pl2.n lo assassia2.te C2.stro._ The exi le l eader

and the memb ers of his group h;1d no bas is for knm-v·L,g

the t rue nature of the supj1ort f o r the operat ion. Sucn

descr ipt ions as the, .nay h a v ~ g.iven lo the c; Per<:>.ti( -:1. had

no basis for differing mate r ia l l r f rom other exi le p o ~ s

and descr ipt ion of th<Onl, except in this hu;t:<>.ncc the re\

,vaz p ~ t ; o n . ..fh( c.:-:ilc: lcad r \ r . ~ c _ . s 1 -.110\\•n o l } : c r \ " . ~ i ~ c

a s one o f the l e ~ ' . . d < . : r 5 receiv ing .-.orne CIA. . i \ . t p p o ~ - t

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·.· .

.

in C \ l U ~ , thz.t CIA ~ ~ n c . J Lhe; .n.:fore th\ U. S. Gov\ rf tnent)

was hehind H.

November 1963 - Jtme 1965

A thi1·d involvem(;nt n ~ plan to a:;::;assin: .te Cz..stro rclat( cl to

.a contact •.vith

Cas t ro government .

He was rnci. f rom t i tne to t i n 1 ~ s u b s e ; q u e n t l y ~ bt•.t .

ti.;:rc were no a r ra:1ge · . .: 1ts i n v o h i r ~ g a s ~ a s sinatioa unti l November-

1963.

D ~ t r i n g n1.eetings in vado us l o c a ~ i o n s

1 9 6 2 ~ spoke of h i ~ des i re to do something "l)-::>Ut

c h < : . n g i n ~ the gove cnme:nt o Cub : , the cErnin2.tion of Cas t ro being

among the things i:hat he c l i s c u 3 3 ~ c L IIowevcr.

when a CIA c r n p l o y ~ e nsed i:hc word

a s a s : . . - i n " J . t ~ " found i t objcc.:tionable. A g F n C ~ ' i n . s t r u c t i ~ n : ;. ,

to th: l<.:ld .-::>:-clt rC d Util.'i.'

.,



..

· : . .. ·

1963 c.ludnz which h(: d i scu >scd c t i o n s lsc

Jnigcti: , . ~ . b a g < ~ i n ~ t the Ca:; tro r c g i r : v ~ . u r i n ~ : z c c s c u ~ : i i c a z ;

; . · ~ q u l . s t c d ~ h gh powt:rcd rifle w·ith lc:lc:;::opic s i tes ·which

could be used to ki l l Ca s t ro; the reques t was turned down with the

~ d r n o n i ~ i o l by the pe1·son to whom. he w a ~ t alk ing (\·;ho represcntt :cl

b i : n s ~ l f ~ s speaking for Robe1-_t Kennecl)r) the U. S. did not do ·

such th ings .

In l a t e 1963, as h ~ d co ~ · : l ~ c l to e:>.:pres s inte r e s t i n/•

equipment, v<:. rious c o u r s c o ( act ion \\ ere c : . ·;iclcrcd . F i n ~ l l y , et

ballpoint pen v.ras r l g g ~ d ~ s c hyp uclerrni. : dnge could b e

used to a c l r r > . . . L 1 . i z t ~ r poison. A CIA case officer nu t witht

22 Novcmbe t 19o.J , a t which t ime he delive1·cd the pen.

on

This was the very d ~ t e upon which Prcsic.lcnt Kcn.'l.cdy was as 2 . s n c . ~

in co.l las T e ~ : a s .

Rela t ionsh ips with continued, including l1i s e ...-cntual ly

being supplic_d \?)th ~ r m s , both by cache in Cuba and p ~ r s o n a l. .

In June 1<)65 Cil\. decided to

t r . r n l i n ~ l ~ cont.acl.:; wit \ and his group h e c : t u of concc:r .n

cn·e r th<:it· H ' c u r i t ~ ' ·

. . ... -



_;,, · · · u ; ' h ~ . ~ = J _ , _ : : i ~ : r · d L ; c t i . : ~ : ; l ~ J ' " · ':itl1 - .: : o a c , _ · t · ~ I n : _ ;

give equipment with which he could corn_rnit an

assass inat ion i t s del ivery w2s the very date upon

which Pres iden t K e n n e ~ y : ~ a s killed.

kt ew that he was in touch with rcprcsenb. t ives

of the U. S. Goverr:mc:nt but there ' i tas no bas i s for l1 i=

to b ~ l i e v e tb2.t he h2.cl l J ~ S G o v ~ r n m e n t snppo1·t for the

ass;·.Jsin2.tion of C2.stro p.r-it"r to the ti.:-nc o t 1 ~ c <;;lca th :

of Joha F . Zcnnedy. 'Ve C.::l.P.. lOt st2.tc \vith any certainty

' that Lc.tl..n c x a g g e . : ~ t i o n s 1nay not h2.ve translatcO.

ca.rli-2r 8Cncrc.l disct.:ssicns vtith CIA into

specific plans for .tfle "-.S::>assiitation of Castro"' and

were so dcsc.r ibcd y hlm. to hls colleagues.

Co c vs t..' .

It i s \mlikely that th< dtrcct participaP..ts in the f i r s t ef fo r t

'inv;Jh·ing lhe\Syht icatc ,.,m:.lcl have becorne i t icntified ot· to ld wh<J.t

slo:·y.

)

•



.../ '"'. / '

The: ~ u t t : i l t · t jet \·oh·": t l 'h : td. o( tlH.; '.;.-::1,: ( r ~ , , . d 1ri:.; ~ < t i l

• J • I l l l l ' 1 \ '/' .• ••J C()l l l_ , :ll- t . \ i J l " ( l ; . . • C.. :'..C I J . O : ~ ' ... f i \ . I ' ~ ( J t . ;

covered and ·th.:y wo\tlcl have had to s ~ t p p l } ' the 1 n i ~ d n r . i n ~ : : e d i e n ~ : : ;

r01n the i r own thoughts.

The reported involvernent of a m?..n n a res taurant i requentE;d

by C ~ s t r o provides a. p o ~ ; s i b ~ c · source of i n [ ~ r m a t i o n . th<: .t s o m ~ o n cpl-an.l l.ed Cas t ro s assa is ination, an'd this individu:1l s eems to have

been a o t ; , ~ f i r s t effort (1960-6l).and in.i.ti:1lly in the second•

one (1962-63). l3nt <'-gain his kno· . ·.·dge would h ~ v e e ~ n l inuted.

·Tltc reported dispZttch of t1u-ee men i n ~ o Cuba to re ~ i t asse t s

for- act ion <1lso provit led indi \ iduals -.·:1lo could be a ~ o u r c c for

repor t s of assassinc.t ion p l o t t i n ~ a ~ .:.;t Ca5tro .

In al l these instancE::s, J1owcvcr, the cover s to ry for the c t i v i . t ~

WO\lld appE::ar to bE:: reasonabl}' secure , on the sur c.cc, i . c .

Synclicate r e p r e s l ' : n t a t i v e ~ and/or p d 2 . t ~ bus iness people ' -verc the

ones involved in the activit}'·

The in val ver11.unt of hatl not pt·ogt'essccl the poj.nt of

- J -



.___

• •

·----

( I I l· .. ,, ,, .... '• - '""""' 4 • .. , •• ,

,--..

the Cuban I n t d l i ~ t : n c c . : s ~ r \'lCC, a ;ld p r o b ~ b l y - . - ~ s <'.ware o f sotne o

the more specif ic plans the exi les may have In2.cle . A s an example

the1·e was a r epo r t of such p l o t . t i ~ g -'- including i:efe.L·e:lCC to the....

Syndicate - - as la te as mid - 1964. The .(orm in which thi5 sor· t o

.acth·it}· rnay have b e en repor ted to Cas t ro is ent i rely specu la t ive

/•but it: i s safe to postub. te soznc L2.tin exaggerat ion. " ' rile a f i rm

bas i s fol· c t ~ . : r - i b u t i o n to t h ~ U. S. G o v e r n m ~ n t would not c..:-:ist•. one

cou cl .ipecul2..te tha t Cas t ro \ ·v· 'ltld at t r ibute i t to the U. S . Goverr

t

rne nt c.nd CIA rcgardl\ s : ; o f ho·.v i t carne to J1im .

Thi rc were var ious p::;ople in the ~ - S. who, in one wa;· or

anot."-ler, cc:>.rnc to k . u o v ~ · of the two episodes (1960-61 and 1962-63)

involV:.:ng represcnta t ivc :s o.f lh <: S } n ~ c a t e . · This would include

individu.cl.s who onl:t· nad e in t roduct ions individuals who v:re re a

party- to only m e aspec t or ~ n a t h e r of the «ctivity, or vrho had m:>re

'c x t ~ n s i v c kn"n,;fedge th:tt u u ~ y c ould divul;:c.: to others who ·we::-c 1 \ t

'

involv<:cl . l l i::; 1·cason :\Llc to p o : : ; l u l ~ t ~ tha t th(; tnembe:-s o lne

e

- l?. ..



·-.·

I

... . .

C \ ~ h n . . The las t g : > . . r n b l i n ~ CCJ. >\no \ /L .S clo ic.·c.l in s ~ p

r c v c a l i n ~ this information. Th-.:rc were p.::cs:. repor ts in .P• 1 ~ g u s _ t

1963 connecting Synclicatc fi g u r e > with' ea r l i e r CIA inf:elligc:ncc

. collect on in Gnba, but Y.'ithout < ~ r c n c e to in ·.-oh·crnent i"l

assassinatio-:1. At a subsequent elate informat ion concerning the

involvement of Syndicate rep re sen tat ives the f irs t t•.vo operatio:-ts

,r r ~ ~ n H o n e d in th is paper bec c.rr.e ;:n0wr.. to •

:

The

proL:able source of th is la t tc r s to ry w a.s tl(c Syndicate reprcscntati;. . ·c.

• ..•wllO se rved as the intcrme<lia r:r during two wtdcrtakings . ·.

One can speculate as to whether o r not as t ro c t t ~ a l l y l ea rned ·

.:. .CJ the plans <liscussecl above ~ n d . , if so, the c l ~ t a i l t h ~ he coul2.· lt<: .ve

-·9learn.r d. Assuming that he l ea rned s o r n : t h i n ~ -which i s not a l l that

c lc :ar- -he wo\tld st i l l have l tad to knc·v enough dcta l to have c l i v - i r : . ~ t

t h ~ t i t .. ;<>.s a U . o v c n ~ m c n t actio:-t 1 a s a bas is _ o r l a u n c h i n ~ ~... ..

counte r actio:·\ in the.: fotrn of Lee H a n ·cy Oswald, ~ s h e : . . ~ be ·· •

- : -



OFFI E OF SOUTH DAKOTA S U S SENA

1 .

2313 Dirksen Senate Of f ice Bu i lding, Wa shington, DC 20510 phone: (202)224-2

POn RELtASP. WEDNESDAYJu l y 30, 19 7 5 11 :0 0 a . m.

For f ur t her i n for ma t ion contac t.Tohn Ho l um 202/ 224-2321

St:n ten tc n t bySenator Geor ge McGo ~ n (D- S.D . )

nuring ni ne hours of convE rs:1t i on vJi t h Prime Minister FidelCast ro on a mission to Cuha i n ea1ly May of t hi s year , t he is5ue

of CIA- inspi red a s s a s s i n ~ t J o n ~ f f o r t s eg. in s t Cuban l eaders wasdis cussed . Mr. Castro told me t ha t the CIA wa s involved in anumber of e f for t s to a s s a s i n ~ t r him nnd o t h ~ r Cuban le ade rs . Hea lso said t ha t there hud hecn s core s of harassment a t tack s ont he Cuban coast organ i zed by t he CIA f r om boats opera t ing a t sea.

I asked Mr . Ccstro i f he wou ld prepare a r eport for me ont hese i nc idents wh ich he ngrecd t o do. Tha t re por t has now beent rans mi t t ed t o my off ic e .

The docmilcntati on Upplied by Prime ~ l i n i s t e r Cas t ro camein the form of a la r ge c areful ly prepared vo l ume whi ch I amt urn i ng ove r to the Se l ect Commi t tee on I n te l l igence. I t include s

a t ext i n bo t h Spanis h and Engli sh , plu s phot ographs of thecaptu r e d con sp i r a t ors and the i r weapons.

I have no ~ a y t o verify these a l l egat ions. But i f theyare t r ue , the CIA has engoged in the most shoc k ing, murderous,and nnAmerican be havio r agains t the leaders of a ne i ghboring s ta te .I find s ~ c h beha vio r a c omplete contrcdict ion of the principleson whi ch our na t ion wa s foundod .

The materia l describes 24 inc i dcnt r r r anging from mi d -1960to Harch of 1971. I t docs not pro f e ss to be inclusive ; rather ,i t focuses on the ' 'majority of a t te1.1pts aga ins t t he Cuban gove rn ment which h;_ve not been pub l ic l y kno-vm. The t ext of t he Cubanreport ci tes the inquir ies of the Rockefel ler Commis sion and theChurch Committee , and mentions a s. v c. r ) s igni f icant t he i nforma t ion published by Lolumni 5t Jac k k l ~ o n about vari ous plotsinvolving gangster J ohn Ros s e l l i .

In T.lOS t c ase s the evidence involve s schemes t o a s s a ss inatePrjme Ministe r Castro . The nos t re c en t was a plan f or anassassin to pose as a Vencz tlLlan newsman cove r in g Ca s t ro ' s 197 1vi s i t t o Chi le . The eun ~ a s to be concenlcd i n a te l evi s i oncamera . ll s sassin , J C s ~ s Domingut" z ncni tz , known as TheI slande r , hlid been arrested by the )' BJ i n 1 968 for promot ingte rrorism jn the Un i ted Sta t e s . llc lla s. a r res te d aga in in 19 7 0 by

nuthor i t i c s a t r t ~ a t n n a m o Nnvn1 Base , but v:a5 none t he l e ss fre e topar t icip:rte jus t mon t hs J o tc1' ...n an a t t e lpt on Castro ' s l i fe .



-2 -

The Cubans accuse former off ic ia l s at Guantanamo Naval Baseof providing a haven for violent anti-Castro groups and ofsupplying weapons for anti-Castro attempts.

In a t least two cases they suggest that attacks on Guantanamowere se l f - inf l ic ted with the aim of winning support for mil i ta ryaction against Cuba. They suggest further that the CIA col laborated with counterrevolut ionary Cubans to plot subversive actionagainst other Latin American countries, in the expectation thatCuba would be blamed.

Weaponry supplied by the CIA, as pictured in the material ,covers the spectrum a l l the way from small handguns and poison tohigh-powered r i f l es with telescopic lenses, machine guns, handgrenades, grenade launchers, TNT, plas t ic explosives, bazookas,and even mortars.

Targets in addition to Castro were President Osvaldo Torrado,Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Rafael Rodriguez, Defense MinisterRaul Castro, and Foreign Minister Raul Roa. The plot againt Roa,uncovered in early 1962, was part of a broad plan to ki l l himf i r s t and then at tack other leaders when they attended the funeral .I t was _designated Plan 2.

The material s u p p l ~ e by the Cuban author i t ies obviouslywarrants further investigation by the appropriate committees in theSenate and the House and by the Executive Branch. Conclusions onCIA involvement are apparently based on confessions and on circums tant ia l evidence. But a t the very l eas t Prime Minister Castro

• has supplied illi.Portant leads which must be pursued.

e already have substantial information about the content ofU.S. policy during the period covered by this material . Publicly,United States policy after the missile cr is is of 1962 was to dis courage and prevent u.s. based violence against the Castrogovernment.

e are forced to consider the poss ibi l i ty that those declarat ions masked the exact opposite. At some time we must also considerthe appalling prospect that the CIA was involved in assassinat ionattempts in Cuba ent i re ly on i t s om1, and perhaps in direct defiance of higher authority.

I f that is the case then we have suffered abuses a freesociety simply cannot tolerate . e must spare no effort in learning the fu l l t ruth , in identifying those responsible, and indeveloping ways to assure that th is can never happen again.

II Il l/ # Ill



Th e Un:-:._,,.J. S t . : ; . ~ f . , ~ , ~ : . ; : l t · . . - . - ~ _ : : _ " T n h - - - , u ~ ~ : ; n ( > - ~ - ~ \ g , . : n c y (Clh.) h : : : t ~ play· .:o:-1. the

l e : 1 d ~ - ~ 1 g ro .:·, in ~ h - . ~ : · d t ~ ~ · J c ' f G£ t>;.(; . a ~ ; : · . _ : . : . ~ i ( " i : : . ~ : . ::lg,,_-<_n:,t Cul;<J., prornot ing

o : : : _ : : ; : . ' ~ ~ ~ - t . ~ - - ) 3 ~ (:;-;.::- >'"' n - ~ . ~ ; d , J r ~ n1,:-;.r:.y c:l ~ : . . ; , d ~ r c c t i . t ' l . g v;n1d·1lic 2ci:ion:J,

net c• ly : . , t ; - · l . n · · ~ ' · t l · . ( ~ Cu1f.<.E ~ ( ; r r i . t G r y - , b·.ll: a.J.do ::t.;;r.d.nat O'Jr r e t J r : : ; - ; . · - : - n t ~ ~ c : o n . : - Ja.nd ihtc:..···.':'l i:-'. ~ o 1 · ~ ~ - i ;n . · : 0 \ _ n : : . h : i . c : : . ~ , 'L:' i , l i n t e : - n : . 1 : . h o n c . - ~ . l wcth· rs.

In t ~ - - - _ . -: - _ ~ ; . c l · · · v,· 1 ' : ~ ' - _ , _ Y D1. ~ ~ . c ~ ; ~ - . . r i l : i ~ : : : ; , : ; ~ . r : . - i , : J o u ~ b:' th : CIA a \'.i by· o.he·r·

U n ) : . c ~ · ; _ S t . _ : , t ; : ~ . J ' < l ~ T / • : : : ' . ~ ~ : ~ n ' b : ~ t 1 : : ~ n . : . . · ' - ~ r l - · ;- o,_., _. · . . : o · ; E : . - r y · ~ U:.o : - r . ~ : t c J . · . - ; , . b . . : < ;p l . ) : l . ~ - : : o , _ · , - . : - - . < . · ~ 1 t[,_,:: ; J ; ; : / : . : J 5 , ~ . t l ~ . L u . ; r L . d i • , 1 ~ of tl.e prj;_1cip-J.1 1. . 1 . - : - l . c r a of t l H ~

J : ( , ; ~ : G 1 · . : ~ · t c n , t:-:. o . ~ : - : ? ~ c L ; _ t _ : f , ~ u - - : 3 : ; ; ; { · ,.:, '·.· Prl1nc::· l'fi:_r.ir:tcr, 5bntd ( U t

h ~ : ; C - \ " . . : s , ; • ---.£ t: .l.c :1::: t i ? T _ G 8 . " ' t . . ) \ l . l 3 : 0 : ' . ~ : ~ 1 : J ..

Tiv: lY::o-:;f .'J ·-.,·,;\j p . c c ~ - r ~ t h : , evid: . n c e Ut2.t, .Jin.ce 195'], thi.B h.:::.n b t : \ · ~ ~ - : . o r ~ , - ~of itd n::ajor a i . r ~ · t e , . 1 J y a · : d i < ~ t F ~ r;:cout va ; : ieJ t echnica l preciP.ion r c c ~ h o d s .In the c a ~ ~ e ·of .a._gentn l i v ~ n g z,_hl·oa-:-1 . t h • ~ y have b c ~ e n g i v c ~ 1 . m e 0 . n : ~ of

t raP ~ p o . r ' t . 1 . t i o n , ~ u J . d cornrn:..:.:1tr.:a.tion.

I t i - . ~ y•.ro:rth nc·ticir;s th,::,t, ;_nth'.: ; a n F r n ; : : r ~ t b l e in:'_;lt.ratlon.:;; organized. by

the C i :..., ltoing : . . : 1 f ' : r 1 l ~ ~ - - ~ l " . ' 1 ul c ,)UUJe .: r r ;Vi ; } :nt jona. l oruaniz::cttiong, one

crf t h ~ pt : · :n ln ;.nt ~ o - ~ l ~ l h a ~ t : . 1 . 1 . F ~ o c ~ n ~ h e physi(:al e.li .nin.:l.tion of

Cornn'.l:: , "' {ler in· C h i · : . . ~ . f , Fide l Ca.,'Jt::o B . u z ~

The CIA,. in o:r-"le:.· tv c o . - ~ : t ' y out ib; ?IJ.nt;_, has " lsed c o n n t e ~ r e v o l u t i o n a r yi n d i · v i d u ~ l a innid\· atHl outside the c o ~ J n 1 , r y . It ha:3 had as col labora tor :J

not only thotiC· who hi;.cl1H cn shJ.ftc.':"l fron1 povter, but alao individuals of

dLffcr-ent soc ia l or ig ins incl:.·Ldlng ea1nplcs of a l l types of v i c i o u o n e ~ : l s .

L. l t h ~ ' G.a.r:v· -Nayi th y h . r ~ . v e had no object ion to l ~ e c r u t i n g ,nell-known

le,\.d.era ;'lnd rncrr:.ber.:a frorn the 1\rne.d'.c:ztn mt1ffia, to whorn t l : u ~ y ha.ve

1n.rr•ctl th. i r offenc:eo, in exch<.n:·;e for the i r part ic ipat ion in the plots

ag;J.intJt our le;.-..d.erB.

'Nor h.l. v tlu:y hr ait11.ter.i. in Lryinr; to c::;u·ry out t h c i ~ t action H in publ ic

pL:..cc.:J_, . . . _ - : l u ~ r c t l - ; ~ n ~ u r r n 4 u£ i a r . . . o c e n ; ~ victirnr; vrould have been

i n c a l c u l . : : l . ~ ) l e , a.5 ~ H e : ~ e ~ h e c:rirr. er; pl.tnncd to t a k · ~ piacc at the Latjn

.;\r.ncrica...n Sto.dhun, tho Revo.lu;:io.l _ c ) q ~ ~ ~ - - ~ r-e a.;:_d the Uni·ve:rsity of

I-Ia "lan.-J..

During tlH l a s ~ r n o n ~ . : n , the .l\.inuric;_:;_n prest-J h.:ts publislH;cl. 1.n inc:-er::.sinG

and e x t ~ n ~ . J i v ~ ir.f(.r:'T.tlation n.hniJ.t i:hc accon1pl ishment of these ac t iv i t ies

ofL,r i lg dctailB Z .bont thr- p.,r t idpat ion of the Centra l Intel l igence Agency

in thn el:J.horati4::t:. and l'::::::ecuHon of tbc crirninal plans .

(moru)



- 2 -

In the reports of the so-cal led Ro:: kefeller Comrniasion, aa well as

the one headed by Senator Frank Church, for the researc::hes on tho

i l legal activities of the Centra l Intell igence Agency (CIA), al l what

we have aL:>.t d above, ha.a been undoubtedly demonstra ted,

A former agent made public statemento about the participation of

t lue Agency in the cr imina l act car r ied out against the French

ete;unship 11 La Coubre , where more than one hundred Cubans were

ki l led and about 200 were ser iously i n j u c ~ e d He offers details about

hie accomplishments trying to justify this killing by blaming a

alight damage in the mechanism of the blowing equipment which was

used.

Very significant is the information given by the journalist Jack Anderson

f rom The Washington Post about the gangster John Rosselli 1 a

participation in various plots against r ime Minister Fidel. Castro,some of them by means of poisoning, with pills handed to him by the

CIA. Afterwards , according to the American press i tself , Rossell i ,

before the Senate Intell igence Commission, conceded having part icipated

with this Agency in various plots for assassinat ing the Cuban r ime

Minilrler.

Gradually, officiala, Senators, chiefs, off icers and former CIA agents,

as well as well-known Arnerican press journalis ts , have made categorical

s tatements , which coincide with the denotmces expressed, apropos, by

the Cuban Government.

Without pretending to mention all the plots attempted, we expose some

of them the major i ty of which have not been publicly known. They

prove the diversi ty and recur rence of the CIA as well as other

subversive agencies participation in these actions:



I

(1) f.tid-1960, 11 La Cr·u7 1' cot.nt• r"revc ;,.Jtiunl"ry group, TaJler S . ~ g u e , a "gr.inSt'}t·, "

and C:ubr ia r . : : r r . o ~ \ - / C l ~ t . : . i l t r t t ~ . . " C trrouJh PJnt. Hicaccs zone ·in r ~ a t . a n z a sProvince for a plot 1ga·fn :>t Cas'ro and o :her terrorisr.t and s a b o t a g ~ " . TrH ,rc;volvet·s, and autome:tic pis::c l<, r1 i " i g n ~ p ~ . . w e r 1 2 d rH1e, and large qudntit1eof aninuni: on \ ' l ~ r c suppl i ri ay rhe Ct:\.

(2) :·1arch, 1961 , v a ~ · i o u s c o u n t c v r ; l u : ~ a ry ~ r c u ; - o ; · · O 'e trained and uror9rf '.Jythe CIA, ami lnfilt1·atea tlirot:g t l t: n l ; ' l of Hl\'<:.'ld, to assas5in2.:e Castroand s upp(;l' f. U . Br o, Pig-: i.t 1, •: ior. . lh : n ~ . -:o So r• i t·h r 1 n and fOU l ' oi:hf>r

individuals \ l ~ r e inf i l t ratc:d t o coc.:dinate h ~ : : acci'ltties of Vc.Jrioqscounterrevoluttonary gro ups d 1 r u c t . ~ d by l:he CI 1\ inside Cuba. ~ l . a p . 1 r r yincluded autorrta1tiL 'ileapnns, h f g h - p C , \ ' ~ ~ e d r i i le ·.-11th scopes , anonunitfon,

and explosives.

(3) June, I9Gl, the "Frente R e v o l u c - ~ o n n r i o D e n n c ~ a t i c o " (FRO) met with indiv i duinfi l tra ted in to Cuba with instructions for a plot against Castro. Jeepswith bazookas were placed in a g a r d g ~ at an intersection i n H a v a n ~ and atruck with grenades ~ ~ a s placed in sports city. Plan \·tas to ambu<;h Castroan'd other leaders. Two .Jarticipants - - GuiHe·rro Caula Ferrer and H·fginio

~ 1 e n e n d e z -- said when dY'l'ested t.hat the CIP rta::, in charge, and that contact~ · 1 a s mai nta i ned through Guantanai:-JO and the S\'Jiss Embassy .

In July, 1961 , after Bay of Pigs, CIA \. larked to consolidate counterrevolutionarygroups into the "Unidad Resistencia" (United r.es1stance) organization . Jose

PujalsM ~ d e r o s

made anu n d ~ r c o v ~ r v i ~ i t t o ~ 1 t e d

States to meet with CIAofficers Jfm Bender (or Bouldinij} J' H rold Bishop and Carl Hitch . There r ~ d e r o swas appo in ted h ~ a d of CIA o p e r a t i ~ n ~ Cuba fn place of t h ~ arrested AldredoIzagui rr2 . Pro grams fn cl uded "sel faggre:;s 1on" a9a inst Guantanilno to justifycounter-attacks on other countries ta p r o v o ~ e war ag a inst Cuba.

(4) July 26, l ~ n l t hrough the in fil trcJtion of CIA agents Em11 io Adolfo RiveroCaro (3rand), Adol fa t1endoza (Raul) and Jorge Garcia Rubio (Tony) and othe rthe United Rcs1stance g t ~ u p d e ~ e l n p e d r lo t against Castro during the26th of July celebration in Or1ente Province

(5) ,JoJly 26, 19'-il, the s 1mc group ' a n n Jnc.ttl,r plot the same day agai nstCastro during il ra lly c.t th;:·tolucion Square . f ~ q e t i n g s were held at the

Guantar'lano Nava·l Base, w h · ~ r e ;tar m::-tnrla1 , inc1tJding l Jr ge quantitiesof snall anns, was supplied Jy ba>'" rnrrnwnd . r Captain Carl E. Schen\·/eias.

(5 ) Also in July, 19 61, plotting ag,, lr,.,t CastriJ " ' a ~ unde,·taken by r epresen t ati vof "30 de N o v l e m b r r ~ , " "t-1nvimento Pcvo l uc1onario del Pueblo," and "FrenteRe vo lucionario Oetrocratir.o. 11 The a-;sassi nat i on atte:mpt was t o be carriedout near the home of Cel iz Sar1 ·:l ez alandu1ey in V2dado. CIA instructionscame thro1.1gh contacts ab road with Tony Varona, f.ian ue1 Ray and Aurel ianoSanchez .C.ro.ngot and throlqh Admi r1 I J u r · ~ e atttl CIA agents on Guantanamo .Weapons ircluded explosives, mo.·tars, h i g h - p m < ~ e r e d rifles, and 30-cal1berm.jch ir.c g,ms.

(7) Sept12<:1ber 13, 1961 the same group5 l i ster in (6) c:.bove, in contact with th

' o v i m i · " ' n t o Recuperuci'Jn P ~ h , l u c i o n a r h (WU1}, led by Juan J o s ~ MartoreSi1va, n ~ d e an a t t ~ m p t on the 1 ~ f Dr . Carlos Rafael Rodriguez w h e ~ he



(9) In early 1962, with CIA inst ructions through Guantanamo, Jorge Luis CuCalvo reorganized several groups into the Union de Un1dades Revolucion

(UDUR). A meeting was held to pian an uprising and discuss arrangemen thad been made to receive equipment through Guantanarm . CIA was press inboth attempts against Castro and staged acts of agression against GuanCalvo outlined Plan .Z

a scheme to kill Foreign Minister Raul Roa, then attack other Cuban leaders who would attend the burial. ~ h e authoof the plan are listed as Cay Hernandez and Cay Gispert and members ofORE organ 1zat1on headed by Julio Hernandez Rojo, l isted as a CIA agentinfiltrated into Cuba. Wea ponry included a double-barreled sho tgun,explosives, grenades, and demo lition timing devices, one labeled BlockDemolition, S A1.

In 1963 another consolidation of groups was carried out with CIA directionabroad through n t The umbre lla group was Re sistenc1a Civica

Anticomunista

(RCA), o r p o r t the Ejerc1to de l1beracion Nacion(ELN), Movi miento de Recuperacion Revol ucionaria (MRR), and Agrupaciont-bntecrist1, among others. The overall objective, as instructed by the CIAwas to create the i mpression of a strong internal resistance to Castro, andinspire a decision for armed inter·vention at the meeting of OAS presidents.instructions came through u a n t a n a r r ~ .

(10) March 13, 1963, the RCA nitiated a pl an to assassinate Castro from a hnear the Univeristy of Havana, by firing a mortar. Peopl e arrested incSamuel Carballo Moreno, identified as a CIA agent . Attacks were to besimultaneously on the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution andNational Revolu tionary Militia sites. Bazookas, mortars and machine guwe re taken. ·

(11) April 7, 1963, the RCA developed a plan involving sixteen men armed witpistols and fragmentation grenades, who were to attack Ca stro at the laAmerican Stadi um . Those arrested were Enrique Rodriguez Valdes (known

Mulgado ), Rica rdo lope _ Cabrera, Onorio Torres Perdomo, and Jorge CaEspinosa Escarles.

(12) July 26, 1963, the RCA grouping planned to assassinate the Minister ofAmed Forces, Raul Cas tro, at Revolution Square during the 26th of Julycelebration. leading those groups involved in the plot was Ibrahim MaHernandez.

(13} September 28, 1963, another group was formed through a relationship witCIA agent Pierre Owen Oiez de Ure, who was a French citizen living inCuba. Their plan was to dynamite sewage pipes under the pres' dentia l pde Ure· confessed that he had been working for and giving information toCIA for a period of two years.

(14) March, 1964, a plan to assassinate Castro by Mario Salabarria Aguiar, agangster, who had contacts with the CIA through its agent Dr. Bernard

Milanes lopez, who sought support in S p ~ t n from Tony Varona and Juan Blisted as friends of Salabarria. The CIA gave Salabarr ia weapons andsums of money for a scheme which involved installing a 30 or 50 calibemachine gun tn a vehicle and waiting for Castro to pass by.

(15) Mid-1964, another plan to as sas s inate Castro was formu lated by membersM:lvimiento de L beracion Naciona l,,. part of the RCA block controlled b



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(16) One of tr m.?rbt:r: Lh :Jro .r• , l / r . m . ~ . 1 n C u b i 1 h ~ P e r ~ z , tolrl Angel NiguelA l ~ e n c 1 b 1 a 1/it·cm, Pulanc o tial,Jo ::; 1 Z • ) 1 ' l dncl u l h ~ r · s of a plot t 9 d 1 n ~ t Castro

to occur dl 11 v ~ d s : o .(17) In early 1 9 6 ~ , c o u F ' l t ~ r r ~ " V C l u t i c r a i ' ~ . J fmar Cr 1-: Ceci1 ·ia , Fe ; min Gonz.a

Cat·ballo a1d C1r'aldo t - . ~ y · t . • i d t 1 9ie:]o Srllano -- r;:cn be,·s cf an k::, sub-group

known as Ejercfto de L her H. ion Nrcora I" \ ' l • ~ r e Pnt,,ing rn a plct agairsCastt·o in Santi190 de l ili lw JoS ihic; r.lan ·a: uropred in fdvo,· of a planto hit Castrr at t h ~ ' - ' t in , · m c r i c ~ n ( tf'divn, 1titlr c..ncther group in a ne in·bybuilding set up t:o f i r ~ m a t : . i r ~ gun :; i,.rtn :r.c to create pJnic andfaci l i tate the c d ~ e

(18) In June 1965, there W J ~ an iirrest of the r ~ r i J u p a d ~ d by Ramon and Mar·iaLeopoldina Grilli r ~ l 5 i n a ( 5 € - ~ f15) a t : o v ~ ) , ~ t h i c h \•IC'S pdrt of the "R.: s ca te

and .. ,...10vimi ent o P11t i con:mrr:Ji stc R:::v'Ji uci ona

io'' (rt1AR) groups spon:;ot"ed by theCIA. Mari a L e o ~ o l d i n f GtwJ had received ClA ins-cructic.ns for poisoningCas t ro at the Havana Libre llotei. Jesus ComJanionl Souza and Santos de laCaridad Perez Nunez, roi2mbers of Mf\R, were to' carry rut the poi son ing. Whenth1 s attempt failed. c ~ h e r 500 capsule bott le of poi son was sent by TonyVarona. Maria Alsina, lllso knmm as Pollta, also received weapons withsilancers and specid1 a s ~ a s s i n a " ' i o n proje<..ti1es from the CIA.

(1 9) In July of 1965, ther·e wa's an arrest of a group wh1ch represented anotherCIA attempt to organize c o u r . t e r r · ~ v o l u t i o n a t ~ J e s , t his time under the name"Unidad Resistencia. This grol' J developed a plan to assdssinate Castrov1 i th a Thompson submachine gun at / i ta ~ o u J a ' - ; resta;,want, firing also atthe Ministry of Interior across the ~ t r e P t t o create confusion and permit th

_ _ a p Egui pment 1nc11Jded i . s ear .

(20 ) Also in 1965, there w1s 1n a r r ~ s t of for1ncr C•Jban cormnJnder Rolando CubelaSecJdes. Cubel a \•las l ' e c r ~ r J i ted durinG a t r ip to Madrid by ~ I A agents t<lanuelArtirtl2, e R rer ' ~ . - 1 J n " , Luis E cos sTepedino. T e planning ~ l s o involve an o ~ i a l at the Cu an Embassy i n

1 iadfld, TosP. Lu1s Conzaler; ·3-11 --\t rPta; and Alberto Blanco (or "E1 Loco") .In Madrid, Ar·t lme pnmi;ed boilts , \ ~ c a p e r ~ ~ O C J .nrn for an invasior. of Cuba

~ ; i t h i n 72 hours tG siJppod a >>a:: sf natitJn of Cuc;tro. Cefore returningto Cuba, Cuhel e i V ~ d from a r : e e ~ 1 f l e with telescopic s i te and

ncer.

(21) In mid-1965, two gnups ·,lith CI, c o n r c ' ; i o n ~ e1d conta.:ts in the United

States the m l l . d ' 1 d v s L I and u r. " ~ o v i m 1 e ' l t O 30 l"tP. No•Jiembre, II pLmnedto inf i l t ra te Cub a. l11at f tn·-: was g 1 v ~ r up, and im:"teDd they fired fromgunboats at the s chJlnr":>hi p t in t ·. n t·d,·a l: oa r and 1t the R i v ~ ; . r i a HoteL 1nthe direction of thn p r • · : . d d ~ : r t t : l rcs1dt:ncc.

(22) In r ~ a y , 1966. thr>se sam..., J " ' O U P ~ \/ere i lf ; lt.l·a tcd into the t e Barretozone in Huvana \ i ~ l l the mi ssion of ('SSc>sc;i'1atiny Cdstru. In t1e actionArmando ac..mero 11.l t t..itiC7. ~ n d l d n l fa l l e r r a ~ n Diaz Gdrcia \•lcre killed, andAntonio C1res1:u VallC' -- hf'ad of "Comanros L", and E u ~ e n i o Enrique ZaldivarCardena <; '1'/ere · r e s t T h e ~ e men had been t rai ned in Puerto Rico by theCIA, and some had be • rt involved In thr bombardment of the "San Pc1scual ,a rr:erchant vessel anchoreu at the r;ai be r1cn Port in Las Villas Province .

23) On March 17, 1967, three n f i l t r a t o r ~ from Unitr:d s·:atcs Fe l ix

Asencio Cre:ip'l, W lfreclo Hw.;; 'k'- Oi •11, c=nd Gt":: tdvo A r o r . ~ . i Al Vili'2Z were



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In 1971, a plan was prepared to assassinate Castro on a vis i t to Chile.

The main protagonist was Jesus Dominquez Benitez, known as The Islander

who had been arrested by the FBI in 1968 for promoting terror ist actionsinside the United States. In 1970 he had participated in an unsuccessfulattempt to infi l trate Cuba through Oriente Province and had sought refuge

at Guantanamo, where he was arrested for bond violation. Nonetheless, hewas free in 1971, to participate with the CIA, Chilean fascists, and u b ~counterrevolutionaries in a scheme to assassinate Castro using a gun conin a television camera. He obtained Venezuelan press credentials from Cexiles in that country. The plan ~ a s aborted. Those involved in the plofeared for their lives because the plan did not insure their escape.



eco n s id e r t h a t the a ru lys i . s o f th e inform-> t Jons we o f f e rt h e pul,l ir : : ly knm·m, and t he oncJs t h d t the Americiln a u t h o r i t i e s

pou:Jes:; and have note be•'n p u b l i s h ed a l lows us to a f f i rm t h a tt h e p h y s i c a l elim:l.nati.on o f Cuban Revolu t iona ry l e ad e r s

e s p r . - . . ~ c l c l l l y the Frime w t ~ _ n i : - : ; t , ~ r F idel CarJtro Rnz has been

a r e i t e r a t e d p o l i cy o f th'? Unit(ed StatecJ through ts SilbvErsiv :; agt: ncies, making u ~ ~ c : o f C u b r ~ n connt.er.revoJ.utlonaries,U.S. c i t i z e n and Dll kir 'd o f o r r u p t · ~ d ind iv idua l s i n s i d < ~the country as wel l as abroad, w i t h o ~ t taking in to c o r ~ s i d e r a -t i o n t h e victim;; t h a t would nos u l t from t h e s e ac t ions .

Wit:h thJ.s purpoc1e, they have pro·ridr.d t h e par t ic ip<m :s w i t h

a gre t n u n t J J , ~ r of weap0ns, QXploGives, techn.i.cal m e . - t n ~ l o f

t ransportat io,1 and co:"- nunicat: .on for t h e accompl ishrr.ento f t he i r plans .

' l 'hese are some of t h ~ connoted and prov·ed f ac t s o f thenum<,:,rous subvers ive a c t i v i t i e s t h a t t h e CIA has c a r r i e d out

aimed to the assass ina t ion o f the l e ade rs of the Revolut ionaryGovernment of Cuba.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cia-plots-to-kill-fidel-castro 24/35.,.

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R B L B A B B D ~ PL - 102-526 J F ~ / f i T )NARA DATE ~ J 7)

CIA HISTORICAL REviEW PRO-- • r

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INDEPE DENTRESEARCH

ASSOCIATESPOB 2091

NY, NY 10013-2091

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Miscellaneous Schemes Pr ior to August 196o

March to August 1960

e f ind evidence of a t l e a s t three and perhaps four , schemes

t b a t were under considerat ion wel l before the Bayot

Pigs but ve

can f ix the time f rame onl.y speculativel.y. Those vho have some

knovledge o f the episodes guessed a t dates ranging tram 1959 th rough

1961.. The March-to-August span ve have f ixed may be too narrov., but

t be s t : f i ts the l imi ted evidence ve have.

a . None o f those ve interviewed vho was f i r s t ass igned to

the uba t a sk force a f t e r the Bay of Pigs lclovs o f any o £ these

.schemes.

b . J . D. (Jake) Ester l . ine, vho vas head 9 £ the Cuba t a sk

force n pre-Bay o f Pigs days, i s probably the most r e l i ab l e

witness on genera l t iming. He may ~ t have been pr ivy to the

prec ise deta i l s of any o f the plans but he seems a t l .east to

have known o f a l l of them. He i s no l .onger able to keep the

deta:ils of one plan separate from those o f another, but each o f the



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poss ib le t ime span. He th inks t nnHkely tha t any planning

o:f t h i s so r t vould have progressed to the poil l t o:f cons idera t ion

o:f means u n t i l a f t e r U.S. po l i cy concernillg Cuba vas decided

upon about March 196o. By about the end o:f the th i rd quar te r

o:f 196o, the t o t a l energ ies o f the t a sk :force were concentra ted

on the maill- thrust e::f:fort, and the re ;rould have been no i l l t e res t

i l l nor t ime :for pursuing such Wills-o - the-Wisp as these .

We are unable to es tab l i sh even a t en ta t ive sequence among the schemes;

they may, i l l :fact , have been under considera t ion s imultaneously. We

f ind no evidence t h a t ·any o:f these schemes vas approved a t any

l eve l higher than div: is ion, i :f tha t . We t h i nk t most l i kel y t h a t

no higher level approvals were sought, because none o:f the schemes

progressed to the point · where approval to Jaunch ;rould have been•

needed.

Aerosol Attack on Radio Sta t ion

o:f TSD remembers discuss ion o:f a scheme to

·contaminate the a i r o:f the rad io s tud io where Castro broadcas t hi.s

SJ;ieeches V i h an aeroso l spray o:f a chemical t ha t produces r eac t ions

s imi la r to t.hose o f lyse rg ic ac id (ISD). Nothing came o f the idea •



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r eca l l s experimentat ion with psychic energizers but t e l a t e t

to Castro as a t a rge t . We :found no one e l se who remembered anything

o:f th i s plo t , with the poss ib le exception o:f Jake Ester l ine who

may have t confused with other schemes.

Contaminated Cigars

Jake Ester l ine claims to have bad i n h i s possession in pre-Bay

o:f Pigs days a box o:f cigars tha t bad been t rea ted with some s o r t

o:f chemical . In our : f i rs t in te rv iev with him hi s recol lec t ion vas

. that the chemical vas intended to produce temporary per sona l i ty

· disor ien ta t ion . The thought vas to somehov contr ive to have Castro

smoke one be:fore making a speech and then to make a publ ic spectacle

o:f l:iimsel:f. Es te r l ine dis t inc t ly reca l l s having bad the cigars in

h i s personal sa:fe unt i l he le:ft WH 4 and t h a t they de:fini t e l y were

in tended :for Castro . He does not remember how they ca:De in to h i s

possession but he th inks they must have been prepared by

In a second interview with Ester l ine , we mentioned t h a t we bad learned·

.s ince : f i rs t speaking with him o:f a _scheme to cause Castro s beard to



· ~ · ~ · ~ ~used1 accord:.f.ng to Ester1i.ne because WH 4 could not f igure out how

to de l l ver them t hout danger o f blowback on the Agency. He says .

he destroyed them before l ea r tng WH/4 n June 1961.

f o f TSD, claims to remember dis t inc t ly a plo t

involving cigars . To emphasize the c l a r i t y o f h i s memory, he named

the off icer , then ass igned to WH/CA who approached him nth the

scheme. Although there may well have been such a plo t , the o f f i ce r

1 named was then ass igned n India and has never worked in

WH D1vis ion nor had anything to do with Cuba operat ions. -·

remembers the scheme as being one t h a t was ta lked about frequent ly

but not widely and as being concerned with k i l H n g , not merely with

infl .uencing behaviour. As f a r as t _ f ____ knows, t h i s idea never

got beyOnd the t a lk ing s tage.· TSD may b ve gone ahead and prepared

the cigars j u s t in case , but : i s cer ta in tha t he did not ge t

the UD/P s (Richard Bisse l l personal approval to re lease them, as would

b a v ~ been done i the opera t ion had gone tha t fa r . We are unable to

·discover whether Este r l ine and • are speald ng o f a single

c iga r episode or o f two unrela ted schemes. We found no one else with

:f i:rm recol lec t ions of l e t h a l. cigars being considered pr io r to A_ugust

1960.



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l fracaso la RCA elabora un -

plan contra e l Primer Minist ro

en el stadium Latinoamerica

7 de abri l de 1963 . En e l mismo

6 hombres armados de -

y granadas de fragmentaci6n.

los principales encartados se -

Rodriguez Valdes

por Mulgado

Ricardo Lopez-Onorio Torres Perdomo y Jor

Escarles.

Having fa i led , the RCA elaborated a new -

plo t against the Prime Minister , th is time

a t the Latin American Stadium on April 7th ,

1963. Sixteen men armed with pistols and -

fragmentation grenades would part icipate -

in i t .

Among the principal persons indicted were

Enrique Rodr1guez Valdes known as••Mulgado"

Ricardo Lopez Cabrera Onorio Torres Perd£

rno and Jorge Carlos Espinosa Escarle s .





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Documents

CIA PLOTS TO KILL FIDEL CASTRO