The National Archives on Thursday released thousands of pages of never-before-seen documents that describe several ways the U.S. considered killing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
“The plans involved a number of bizarre schemes and, in at least one instance, involved some contact with organized criminal elements. Among the means considered were poison, botulism pills, and the use of Cuban Exile groups,” said one intelligence report on Cuba.
Among a range of schemes to harass Cuba, including an effort to create crop failures on the island. Here are five ways the U.S. thought about eliminating Castro.
Explosive underwater seashells
One of the plans sought to exploit Castro’s love of diving.
“During this period of time there were also discussions about preparing a booby-trap spectacular seashell which would be submerged in an area where Castro often skin dived,” it said.
“The seashell would be loaded with explosives to blow apart when the shell was lifted,” it said. “After investigation it was determined that there was no shell in the Caribbean area large enough to hold a sufficient amount of explosive which was spectacular enough to attract the attention of Castro.”
Contaminated diving suit
A related plan was to get Castro to wear a contaminated diving suit.
“The CIA plan was to dust the inside of the suit with a fungus producing madera foot, a disabling and chronic skin disease, and also contaminating the suit with tuberculosis bacilli in the breathing apparatus,” it said.
Lone gunman
One idea floated in the late 1960s was to send a gunman into the island to hunt down and kill Castro.
“‘He (Robert Kennedy) indicated that a few days prior thereto he had been advices by CIA’ that an intermediary had been hired by CIA to approach Sam Giancana with a proposition of paying $150,000 to hire some gunman to go into Cuba and kill Castro,” the memo said.
Botulism pills
Another was to give Castro botulism by having someone poison his food.
“The particular means by which the plans were to be carried out was ‘by placing botulism pills in his food,'” another part of the memo read.
“Supposedly, the reason pills were used was that the syndicate personnel could not recruit personnel to undertake the assassination through gunfire because the chance of survival and escape was small,” it said. “However, the case officer felt that it was the Agency itself that desired to have pills used rather than gunfire.”
2 cent bounty on Castro’s head
One plan under development was to create a bounty system that would pay Cubans for the capture or killing of Cuban officials.
Possibly to insult Castro, officials proposed a 2 cent bounty on Castro.
“One final leaflet may be deemed advisable and that one announcing a .02¢ reward for the delivery of Castro,” the memo said.
