Fidel Castro was a Cuban political leader who transformed Cuba into a communist state. At the height of his political reign, the United States refused to continue trade relations with Cuba, that Castro ended up seizing all American assets in the country and made friends with the USSR. In 1961, President Kennedy tried to overthrow him but failed. But did you know that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hired his mistress to kill him?
The CIA hired one of his former mistresses to kill Fidel Castro. They gave her poison pills to do the job. Castro found out about her mission and gave her a gun. He dared her to shoot him, but her nerves got to her, and they ended up sleeping together.
The Bay of The Pigs
Fulgencio Batista, a right-wing dictator, ruled Cuba from 1933 to 1959. During this time, the United States bought sugar from Cuba and controlled most of the country’s economy. By 1959, the Marxist Fidel Castro overthrew Batista. The United States was not fond of Castor and refused to continue their trades with Cuba. Castro decided to seize all American assets at the time and formed an alliance with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
By 1961, President Kennedy tried to overthrow Castro. Along with the CIA, 1,400 Cuban rebels and Cuban exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. The attack was a complete disaster. The rebels faced 20,000 Cuban troops and were severely outnumbered. Within days, Castro was able to capture and kill them all. The whole fiasco convinced Castro that the United States was the enemy. He sought protection from the USSR. (Source: Painsley)
Assassination Plots Against Fidel Castro
In his entire lifetime, there were 637 plots against his life. The exploding cigar plot was one of the more popular attempts ever done. There were also exploding seashells, poisoned diving suits, and even poison hidden in his face cream. All these assassination attempts were well documented by his former bodyguard, who wrote a book and TV documentary about them.
If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal.
Fidel Castro
The CIA and US-based Cuban exiles spent about 50 years conspiring against the Marxist leader. Former US Havana diplomat, Wayne Smith, described Castro’s effect on the United States as similar to werewolves during a full moon.
(Souce: BBC)
Castro’s Ex-Lover
The CIA recruited Marita Lorenz to poison Castro. She was given pills to slip in his drink. Unfortunately, Castro found out about the attempt. He handed her his gun to use instead. He was claiming that she couldn’t kill him and that nobody could.
And he kind of smiled and chewed on his cigar. I felt deflated. He was so sure of me. He just grabbed me. We made love.
Marita Lorenz to New York Times
(Souce: BBC)
How Did Fidel Castro Die?
The most recent attempt on Castro’s life happened in 2000. The plot was to place a large number of explosives under a podium he was going to use while speaking in Panama. Castro’s security team was able to figure out the ploy just in time. CIA Agent Luis Posada was jailed for the incident along with four other men. They were pardoned later on. (Souce: BBC)
Fidel Castro ruled Cuba from 1976 to 2008. In July 2006, Castro handed temporary power to his brother Raul Castro and a few cabinet ministers. This was decided after he suffered from an acute infection in his colon. Despite several surgeries, Castro has never recovered. He officially stepped down as president in 2008 and passed away of natural causes in November 2016. (Source: New York Times)