HOW ONE MAN SURVIVED 600 U.S. ASSASSINATION PLOTS

Fidel Castro, the CIA, and the Anatomy of Cold War Obsession

A Hidden Chapter of Cold War History

The Cold War was not merely a confrontation between ideologies—it was a ruthless contest of intelligence operations, proxy wars, economic warfare, and psychological domination. Among its most extraordinary episodes stands the long, bizarre, and relentless campaign by the United States to eliminate one man: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, the revolutionary leader of Cuba.

According to declassified U.S. documents and testimonies before the U.S. Senate’s Church Committee (1975), over 600 assassination attempts were planned or discussed against Fidel Castro—spanning eleven U.S. presidencies, from Eisenhower to Clinton. No other world leader in modern history was subjected to such sustained targeting by a superpower.

Yet, Castro survived them all—dying peacefully in 2016 at the age of 90.

THE CUBAN REVOLUTION (1959): THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED

Collapse of a U.S.-Backed Order

In January 1959, Fidel Castro and the July 26 Movement overthrew Fulgencio Batista, a dictator heavily supported by Washington. Batista’s regime was infamous for corruption, repression, and its intimate alignment with U.S. corporate and mafia interests.

For the United States, Cuba had functioned as:

• A strategic Caribbean outpost
• A playground for U.S. capital
• A compliant anti-communist ally

Castro’s victory shattered this arrangement overnight.

NATIONALIZATION & DIPLOMATIC RUPTURE

Economic Sovereignty vs Imperial Retaliation

Between 1959 and 1961, Castro’s government:

• Nationalized U.S.-owned oil refineries
• Seized banks, sugar plantations, and utilities
• Implemented land reforms benefiting Cuban peasants

The United States responded with:

• Trade restrictions
• Diplomatic isolation
• Sabotage operations

By 1961, diplomatic relations were formally severed. Cuba, facing economic strangulation, turned toward the Soviet Union, accelerating its alignment with the socialist bloc.

THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION (1961): A HUMILIATING FAILURE

CIA Hubris Meets Revolutionary Reality

In April 1961, the CIA launched a covert invasion using 1,400 Cuban exiles, trained and armed by the United States. The objective was clear:

Overthrow Fidel Castro and install a pro-U.S. government.

The operation collapsed within 72 hours.
Why it failed:

• Cuban popular support for Castro was underestimated
• U.S. air support was limited
• Castro’s forces were prepared and motivated

The defeat at Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) was a global embarrassment for the United States—and a defining moment for Castro’s legitimacy.

OPERATION MONGOOSE: STATE-SPONSORED SUBVERSION

Assassination as Policy

After Bay of Pigs, the U.S. escalated.

Operation Mongoose (1961–1963) was a massive covert program approved by President John F. Kennedy, designed to:

• Destabilize Cuba
• Sabotage infrastructure
• Encourage internal revolt
• Assassinate Fidel Castro

This was not rogue CIA behavior—it was state policy.

THE “BIZARRE” ASSASSINATION PLOTS

When Intelligence Became Absurd

Declassified records reveal assassination ideas that bordered on the surreal:

Exploding Cigars

Castro’s love for cigars inspired plans to rig one with explosives or lethal toxins.

Poisoned Wetsuit

A wetsuit contaminated with fungal spores and tuberculosis bacteria was intended to kill Castro while diving.

Thallium Beard Plot

The CIA planned to dust Castro’s shoes with thallium salts, causing his beard to fall out—believing it would psychologically weaken his image.

The Femme Fatale

Marita Lorenz, a former lover, was allegedly recruited to poison Castro. She confessed the plot to him instead.

These schemes illustrate not just obsession—but desperation.

THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS (1962): WORLD ON THE BRINK

Assassination Meets Nuclear Apocalypse

The placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba brought the world to the edge of nuclear war. Less discussed—but equally important—is this fact:

Assassination plots against Castro continued even during the crisis.

Had Castro been killed, uncontrolled escalation could have triggered a catastrophic global war.

THE U.S. EMBARGO: ECONOMIC WARFARE BY OTHER MEANS

The Longest Sanctions Regime in Modern History

Imposed formally in 1962, the U.S. embargo aimed to:

• Collapse Cuba’s economy
• Starve the population into rebellion
• Isolate Cuba internationally
Despite severe hardship, the Cuban state survived for decades.

The embargo remains partially in place today, condemned annually by the United Nations General Assembly, with near-unanimous global opposition.

HOW DID CASTRO SURVIVE?

Intelligence, Popular Support, and Political Instinct

Castro’s survival was not luck alone. It was due to:

• An extremely effective Cuban counterintelligence network
• Genuine mass support in early decades
• Constant relocation and secrecy
• Awareness of CIA methods

Ironically, the U.S. obsession strengthened Castro’s domestic legitimacy.

THE PRESENT CONTEXT: WHY THIS HISTORY STILL MATTERS

Lessons for the 21st Century

Today, Cuba faces:
• Continued sanctions
• Economic crisis
• Leadership transition
• Renewed U.S. pressure

Yet the Castro-era legacy still shapes:
• U.S.–Latin America relations
• Global debates on sovereignty
• Intelligence ethics
• Regime-change doctrine

The story of Fidel Castro is not merely about one man—it is about how far a superpower was willing to go to control history.

CONCLUSION: THE FAILURE OF FORCE AGAINST IDEAS

Fidel Castro outlived:
• Eleven U.S. presidents
• Hundreds of assassination plots
• Economic warfare
• Psychological operations

His survival exposed a fundamental truth of the Cold War:

Ideas cannot be assassinated the way people can.