1960–1961Primary source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Poison Cigars

On the timeline · around 1960–1961 ·

What happened

In one plot the CIA had a box of Castro's favorite cigars laced with botulinum toxin so potent that merely putting one in his mouth would be fatal. The poisoned cigars were reportedly passed to an intermediary in early 1961; what became of them is unknown.

Why it matters

The poisoned cigar became the most iconic image of the CIA's campaign against Castro — improbable, but entirely real.

Sources

NBC News. Fidel Castro and the CIA's 7 Most Bizarre Assassination Attempts (2016) · General source
U.S. Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations. Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders (Church Committee Interim Report) (1975) · Primary source

Part of a timelineThe Plots to Kill Castro32 events · Exploding cigars, Mafia hitmen, a poisoned milkshake, a booby-trapped seashell, a lethal pen handed over the day JFK died — and decades of exile plots after. The CIA's documented campaign to assassinate Fidel Castro, and the man who outlived it all.View all →