1960–1961Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Poison Pills

On the timeline · around 1960–1961 ·

What happened

The CIA's Technical Services Division produced poison pills of botulinum toxin — six in all — designed to dissolve in Castro's food or drink. They were passed through Mafia contacts to Cubans who were supposed to slip them to Castro, but the plots repeatedly fell through.

Why it matters

The poison-pill plots, run in tandem with the Bay of Pigs preparations, are among the plots most firmly documented in the CIA's own records.

Sources

NBC News. Fidel Castro and the CIA's 7 Most Bizarre Assassination Attempts (2016) · General source
The National Security Archive, George Washington University. CIA Assassination Plots: The Church Committee Report 50 Years Later (2025) · Reputable 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 →