---
title: Fidel Castro
aliases:
  - Fidel Castro
  - Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz
created: 2026-05-17
updated: 2026-05-17
category: "Key Figures"
tags:
  - Person
  - Cuba
  - DarkAllianceInvestigation
  - Politician
  - Military
  - ColdWar
summary: "Leader of Cuba targeted by CIA assassination plots involving organized crime figures Sam Giancana, Johnny Rosselli, and Santos Trafficante."
born: 1926-08-13
died: 2016-11-25
location: "Birán, Oriente, Cuba"
---
Fidel Castro was the leader of [[Cuba]]. In 1960, the [[Central Intelligence Agency|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 Roselli|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 [[Contras|Contra]] war. The anti-Castro Cuban exile networks built during the [[Bay of Pigs|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. [[Manuel Noriega|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]

### Footnotes

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6: "They were doing their patriotic duty"
[^3]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 6, Chapter 10