Abstract

This research paper discusses the assassination attempts on Fidel Castro between 1960-1965. More specifically however, it discusses the complicity of the U.S. government, particularly former U.S. Presidents Eisenhower and JFK in the authorization of the assassination plots. While it has long been argued that the CIA acted alone in the assassination attempts on Castro and there is no direct evidence of the involvement of U.S. officials, this paper presents evidence that implies the direct complicity of White House officials; including former presidents. Evidence such as records of anti-Cuban action, covert operations, and damning testimonies from government officials point at the complicity of the Eisenhower & JFK Administrations. The paper begins with providing context on the strain in political relations between the West and Cuba following the Cuban Revolution and Castro’s rise to power. I then analyze two counterinsurgency operations that preceded assassination attempts; the Bay of Pigs Invasion and Operation Mongoose, and discuss how their failures (and other factors) ultimately led to the U.S taking extreme measures, such as assassination. The paper then discusses the eight documented assassination plots on Castro and the CIA’s involvement and complicity and ultimately debunks the idea that the CIA acted alone. I then present evidence from declassified documents that points at the direct complicity of the Eisenhower and JFK administrations. Finally, the paper analyzes the roles and motivations of both presidents in the authorization of assassination attempts on Fidel Castro, and debunks the idea that the Presidents were unaware or uninvolved in the assassination plots.

Keywords: Authorization, Assassination, Fidel Castro, CIA, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Bay of Pigs, Operation Mongoose, Cold War, Allen Dulles, Church Committee

How to Cite:

Madrid, J., (2025) “Complicity and Authorization: The Role of the U.S. Government in the Assassination Attempts of Fidel Castro”, Footnotes: A Journal of History 7, 93-103.