1963General sourceWell documented
The Contaminated Diving Suit
On the timeline · around 1963 ·
What happened
Knowing Castro loved to scuba dive, the CIA plotted to give him a diving suit dusted inside with a fungus to cause a chronic skin disease, and a breathing apparatus contaminated with tuberculosis bacteria. It was to be handed over by the American lawyer James Donovan during hostage negotiations.
Why it matters
The poisoned wetsuit is a textbook example of the CIA exploiting Castro's personal habits — and of how elaborate the plots had become.