157-10004-10147 : Date:07/19/94 Page:1 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM ee cee meee ses oe ce care mare me ene et cere et tet tits tet ate th RD RD ERD tO HL GOD Un feel et teed cad ee lO a oo AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : SSCIA RECORD NUMBER : 157-10004-10147 RECORDS SERIES : CHRONOLOGY AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : SSCIA FROM : TO : TITLE : CHRONOLOGY OF CASTRO ASSASSINATION PLANS DATE : 00/00/76 4 PAGES : 2 ' SUBJECTS : CASTRO ASSASSINATION PLANS UBA PPERATION MONGOOSE "CHRONOLOGY OF PLANS DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : U RESTRICTIONS : 1A, 1B, DONOR REST., REFERRED CURRENT STATUS : X DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 07/19/94 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : [R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED 'HW 50955 Docld:322702036 Page 1
CASTRO ASSASSINATION PLANS EARLY PLANS TO HARASS CASTRO AN March-July, 1960 Discussion of plans to sabotage Castro's speeches by contaminating air of radio studio with a substance resembling LSD and by impregnating Castro's cigars with a chemical to produce temporary disorientation. Tt Plan to cause Castro's beard to fall out by placing thallium salts in his shoes progresses as far as testing the chemical on animals, GAMBLING SYNDICATE OPERATION INITIATED August, 1960 CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO. _ DECLASSIFICATION AND/OR In August, 1960, DDP BISSELL requested SHEFFIELD EDWARDS, Chief of the Office of Security, to establish contacts with gambling syndicate that was active in Cuba for the purpose of exploring capacity for assas- sinating Castro. EDWARDS told the case officer for the operation, JAMES O'CONNELL, to contact ROBERT A. MAHEU, a private investigator with syndicate con- nections. EDWARDS and BISSELL discussed various forms of poisoning with CORNELIUS ROOSEVELT, Chief of TSD. POISON CIGARS August 16, 1960 EDWARD GUNN, Office of Medical Services, receives cigars with orders to contaminate them with lethal 7 material ..«The cigars are contaminated with Botulinum A Toxin by (RN@BRREIGHBER,.TSD Comments :322707036 Page 2 Boctd HY S0955
On_ January 26, HARVEY discussed the operation with IARSORDESMEVERS The project was named ZRRIFFLE, éaidy Opec UMuntcmecemcoTeMmMoMprocurinemcad cmd sainhen qanrayteniaures «Agent QJWIN, who had been recruited earlier bygSiMERBfor an operation against Lumumba, was salaried as the pfinciple agent. On January 26, HARVEY discussed assassination techni- ques with SYD GOTTLIEB of the TSD. GAMBLING SYNDICATE: ORTA OPERATION January-February, 1961 GIANCANA suggested the use of poison pills. EDWARDS and O'CONNELL discussed the pills with@iREMGHBERMof TSD, and by February 10, the pills had been tested for their effectiveness. Shortly thereafter they - were supplied to O'CONNELL, who gave them to ROSELLI. ROSELLI reported that the pills had been delivered to JUAN ORTA in Cuba. ORTA kept the pills for a few weeks, and then returned them. POTSONED CIGARS DELIVERED February 13, 1961 REANGHEERD notes reveal poisoned cigars delivered to unidentified person on February 13. Spenser ee epee tte gee op: a Comments :32707036 Page 3 Boctd HY S0955
GAMBLING. SYNDICATE: VERONA OPERATION March-April, 1961 Following ORTA's failure, ROSELLI told O'CONNELL that TRAFFICANTE had approached TONY VERONA, head of a Cuban exile movement fronted by the CIA. VERONA claimed to have a contact inside Cuba who worked at a restaurant frequented by Castro. $10,000 in cash and $1,000 in communications equipment were delivered to O'CONNELL to cover operational expenses. MAHEU} ROSELLI, TRAFFICANTE, and VERONA met at the Fontainbleau Hotel in Miami, and MAHEU delivered the cash and capsules to VERONA. When the operation failed to materialize, VERONA returned the cash. AMLASH: INITIAL CONTACT March 9, 1961 | rtc“(téws:sC Gna Mexico Clty station pa COee CMICASH - 1, a major in the Cuban army who was disaffected with Castro, in Mexico City on March 9. AMLASH-1 requested arms for use in operations against Castro. AMLASH: REQUEST FOR AID IN DEFECTING March 28, 1961 = ecided to defect and requested aid from No assistance was given because of report that Cuban police aware of AMLASH-1's defection plans. Comments IA) ©) L(A) :32707036 Page 4 Boctid HW 50955
Comments MCCONE BECOMES DCI October, 1961 TASK FORCE W: INCEPTION October, 1961 In October, SAM HALPERN of the Caribbean Division attended a meeting with BISSELL and Branch Chief. BISSELL stated that he had been repri- manded by RFK and JFK for not “getting—xi the Castro regime. He ordered HALPERN. and to plan an operation to get rid of Castro, placing no limita- tion on the means. Shortly after the meeting, HALPERN was introduced to GENERAL LANSDALE. HALPERN looked to LANSDALE for guidance and reported to him. EXECUTIVE ACTION: DECISION TO APPLY PROGRAM TO CASTRO November 15, 1961 On November 15, HARVEY and BISSELL discussed apply- ing the ZRRIFLE capability against Castro. BISSELL also instructed HARVEY to take over EDWARDS' gambling syndicate operation. TASK FORCE W: HARVEY TAKES COMMAND January, 1962 HARVEY was put in charge of Task Force W in January, 1962. 232202036 Page 5 Boctid HW 50955
April 8-9, 1962 HARVEY, O'CONNELL, and ROSELLI met in New York on April 8-9. It is uncertain whether MAHEAU was pre- sent. GAMBLING SYNDICATE: WASHINGTON MEETING April 14, 1962 HARVEY, O'CONNELL, and ROSELLI met in Washington on April 14. ROSELLI was apprehensive about HARVEY and asked O'CONNELL to stay with operation. GAMBLING SYNDICATE: DELIVERY OF PILLS TO ROSELLI April 19-21, 1962 CBReEMCWBERBdelivered four pills to O'CONNELL on April 18. HARVEY arrived in Miami with the pills on April 21. GAMBLING SYNDICATE: DELIVERY OF PILLS TO VERONA April 21, 1962 ROSELLI reestablished contact with VERONA, who claimed to have an asset in Cuba who could deposit the pills in Castro's food. ROSELLI told HARVEY that the asset in- tended to use the pills to assassinate Castro, Che Guevarra, and Raul Castro. HARVEY approved of the targets and gave ROSELLI the pills, who passed them on to his asset (Cuban no. 1). ROSELLI's assistant was an Italian-speaking Cuban named MACEO. L(A) Comments il :322707036 Page 6 Bocld HY 450955
AMLASH: MERTING WITH FITZGERALD f October, 1963 AMLASH-1 insisted on meeting with a senior United States official for assurances of American support. FITZGERALD and HELMS agreed that FITZGERALD should meet AMLASH in Paris and hold himself out as a per- sonal representative of RFK. HELMS decided that it was unnecessary to seek approval from RFK because he believed the operation was consistent with RFK's general policies toward Cuba. FITZGERALD met CUBELA on October 29, and promised to aid any anti-communist groups which could neutralize Castro. CUBELA requested a high-powered rifle with telescopic sights. FITZGERALD told CUBELA that the United States would not take part in an assas- Sination scheme. AMLASH: DECISION TO PROVIDE RIFLES November 19, 1963 A memorandum for the record by Rated November 19 states: "C/SAS (FITZGERALD) approved telling CUBELA he would be given a cache inside Cuba. Cache could, if he requested it, include . . . high powered rifles with scopes. 7 Comments LA) 1322702036 Page 7 Boctd HY S0955