c. 1960General sourceDebated
Marita Lorenz and the Cold-Cream Capsules
On the timeline · around c. 1960 ·
What happened
By her own later account, Marita Lorenz — a young German-American woman who had had an affair with Castro — was recruited by the CIA to poison him with capsules she hid in a jar of cold cream. She said she lost her nerve, and that Castro, sensing the plot, handed her a gun which she could not use.
Why it matters
The 'femme fatale' plot became one of the most sensational episodes of the whole saga, though it rests largely on Lorenz's own colorful and contested testimony.
How we know
The account comes chiefly from Lorenz's own later interviews and memoirs, and elements of her story have been questioned.