Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro was the leader of Cuba. In 1960, the CIA initiated a series of assassination attempts against him. These operations involved Robert Maheu as a "cut-out," who contacted organized-crime leaders Sam Giancana, Johnny Rosselli, and Santos Trafficante, Jr.. These individuals, in turn, enlisted the direct assistance of Cuban exiles in the assassination plots.¹

Dark Alliance Investigation

Fidel Castro was the Cuban president whose government served as a foil for U.S. anti-Communist operations in Central America, including the Contra war. The anti-Castro Cuban exile networks built during the Bay of Pigs era were later repurposed by the Central Intelligence Agency for Contra operations.²

When the CIA needed operatives for the Contra war, it drew from the pool of anti-Castro Cuban exiles who had been trained and organized since the failed 1961 invasion. Felix Rodriguez, who participated in the capture and execution of Che Guevara in Cuba under Castro's government, was sent to San Salvador to manage the Contra resupply operation at Ilopango Air Base. Noriega brokered deals with Castro, acting as liaison between the Cuban government and U.S. intelligence. The Sandinistas in Nicaragua maintained close ties with Castro's government, which the Reagan administration cited as justification for the Contra war.³