c. 1960General sourceWell documented
The Depilatory Plot: Making Castro's Beard Fall Out
On the timeline · around c. 1960 ·
What happened
One scheme aimed not to kill Castro but to humiliate him: dusting his shoes with thallium salts so that his iconic beard would fall out, wrecking the rugged image at the center of his revolutionary appeal.
Why it matters
The 'depilatory' plot reveals how badly the CIA misjudged Castro — imagining his power could be undone by ruining his beard.