CIA vs Castro

Adnan Munir

6/25/2025

Transcript

00:00In the heart of the Caribbean a revolution was brewing. Cuba, long a playground for wealthy

00:05Americans and a land of inequality, was ripe for change. Fidel Castro, a young lawyer,

00:11led rebels against the corrupt U.S.-backed Batista regime. On New Year's Day 1959 Batista

00:17fled and Castro's forces entered Havana to cheering crowds. But in Washington alarm replaced

00:22celebration. Castro nationalized American businesses directly challenging U.S. power.

00:27As the Cold War raged Castro aligned with the Soviet Union, declaring Cuba a socialist state

00:33just 90 miles from Florida. The U.S. saw this as an intolerable threat. Fears grew that Cuba would

00:40become a Soviet base. The Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations decided Castro had to go.

00:45He became a symbol of defiance, inspiring resistance across Latin America. The stage was set for a

00:51secret war. The decision to remove Castro would launch one of history's most extraordinary

00:56espionage campaigns. The CIA became obsessed with eliminating Castro. Former Cuban intelligence

01:02chief Fabian Escalante claimed over 600 plots were documented. The agency's efforts ranged from

01:08classic spycraft to the bazaar. Early on they tried to poison Castro's favorite cigars with deadly toxins,

01:15but Castro was elusive. He changed locations, used body doubles and maintained tight security.

01:21Food tasters and constant vigilance became his norm. The CIA tried poisoning his food, drinks,

01:27even his diving suit. They devised a poisoned handkerchief and a hypodermic pen, but Castro's

01:32security was exceptional, often infiltrating CIA networks. Each failed plot only deepened the agency's

01:39obsession. The secret war became a relentless personal vendetta. Yet, every attempt was met with

01:45Castro's uncanny ability to survive. Desperate, the CIA turned to unlikely allies, the American mafia.

01:51Mobsters like Santo Traficante Jr. and Sam Giancana, ousted by Castro, wanted revenge.

01:57Operation Mongoose was born. Mobsters were offered $150,000 to poison Castro. Poison pills were passed

02:04through criminal networks, but none reached their target. Meanwhile, the U.S. planned a direct attack,

02:09the Bay of Pigs invasion. In April 1961, CIA-trained Cuban exiles landed, hoping to spark an uprising.

02:16The plan collapsed. Castro's forces crushed the invaders in three days. The Bay of Pigs was a

02:21disaster for the U.S., and a triumph for Castro. The CIA's obsession only grew. Military action was

02:27too risky, so covert plots continued. The mafia alliance persisted, but security around Castro was

02:33tighter than ever. No assassin could get close. The failures only fueled Castro's legend. The secret

02:39war pressed on, more desperate than ever. The CIA realized access was their biggest hurdle.

02:45They targeted those closest to Castro, his lovers and trusted aides. Marita Lorenz, a former mistress,

02:51was given poison pills to slip into Castro's drink. But she lost her nerve, and the pills dissolved before

02:57she could act. Castro, sensing betrayal, confronted her. She couldn't pull the trigger. The agency also

03:03tried to recruit disillusioned insiders like Rolando Cubela. Cubela was given a poison-injecting pen,

03:09but the plot unraveled as Kennedy was assassinated. Cuban intelligence was always a step ahead,

03:15turning would-be assassins into double agents. Every attempt failed, exposing the CIA's vulnerability.

03:22Castro's security was airtight, his paranoia justified. The agency's reliance on personal

03:27betrayal proved fruitless. Each plot only strengthened Castro's resolve. The cycle of

03:32failed assassinations continued. As conventional plots failed, the CIA's ideas grew outlandish.

03:38They planned to plant an exploding seashell in Castro's favorite diving spot. Another scheme

03:43involved gifting him a wetsuit laced with deadly fungus and bacteria. Psychological warfare took center

03:49stage. One plan aimed to make his beard fall out using thallium salts. Another involved dosing him

03:55with LSD before a live broadcast hoping to make him ramble incoherently. None of these plots succeeded.

04:01The CIA misunderstood Castro's appeal. His power came from his defiance, not his image. Each bizarre

04:07attempt only enhanced his legend. The world watched as the agency's efforts became almost farcical.

04:13Castro's survival became a symbol of resistance. For years, the CIA's war on Castro was hidden from the

04:19public. In the 1970s, scandals like Watergate led to Senate investigations. The Church Committee, led by

04:26Senator Frank Church, exposed the agency's darkest secrets. Americans learned of poisoned cigars, mafia

04:32alliances, and exploding seashells. The revelations shocked the world and damaged the CIA's reputation.

04:39The committee concluded these plots were immoral and counterproductive. Instead of toppling Castro,

04:44they made him a hero of resistance. In 1976, President Ford banned political assassinations by

04:51executive order. Officially, the era of CIA plots ended. But the legacy of this secret war would linger

04:58for decades. Castro's survival became a powerful propaganda tool. Even after the ban, Castro remained

05:05a target. Anti-Castro exiles continued plotting, sometimes with unofficial U.S. support. Castro's security

05:11forces foiled dozens of attempts, including a massive bomb plot in Panama in 2000. His survival

05:17became legendary. He outlasted 10 U.S. presidents. Castro used the failed plots to bolster his image as a

05:23defiant survivor. His cunning and loyal security kept him safe for decades. When Castro died in 2016 at

05:30age 90, he had ruled Cuba for nearly half a century. The campaign to kill him had utterly failed. Instead,

05:37it transformed him into a global icon of resistance. In the end, it was Castro who survived the shadow war.

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