Between 1960 and 1965, the CIA attempted to neutralize Fidel Castro's influence eight times, using methods including botulinum-toxin-laced cigars, exploding cigars, a poisoned wetsuit, and an exploding seashell.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by the 1975 Church Committee report and corroborated by multiple independent historical sources including the National Security Archive, detailing roughly eight distinct CIA plots against Castro between 1960-1965. [cascade flags: wikipedia_dropped_other_sources_exist | tier=silver indep_score=0.833 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- The Mysterious Blunderings of the CIA (seed:military_and_intelligence)
- https://alphahistory.com/coldwar/summary-american-plots-against-fidel-castro-1976/ (corroboration)
- https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence/2025-11-20/cia-assassination-plots-church-committee-report-50-years (corroboration)
- https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/killing-castro-poisoned-cigars-explosive-seashells/2wd9lpf37 (corroboration)