In the summer of 1960, a CIA operative named Robert Maheau was given a mission to have the Mafia assassinate Fidel Castro, according to a new book.
At the time of the assassination plot, the mob hated Castro because he confiscated their property and forced gambling on the island to end after the Cuban Revolution.
The CIA offered a man named Jonny Roselli $150,000 to kill Castro, but he declined the money and explained that would have Castro killed simply out of the love for his country.
The book, “Handsome Johnny: The Life and Death of Johnny Roselli – Gentleman, Hollywood Producer, CIA Assassin,” be Lee Server explains that Rosselli was the link between the Mafia, Hollywood and the CIA.
According to The New York Post, Rosselli was “one of the most powerful gangsters in Los Angeles,” and a high-ranking member of Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit.
After Maheau had enlisted Roselli’s help, the Chicago Outfit reportedly approved the mission and savored in the idea of getting revenge on Castro for confiscating their properties.
The Mafia had hoped that since they were doing the government a favor, they would be forever indebted to the mob.
The book details how the CIA had the idea to kill Castro in a gangland blood bath with guns blazing, but the Mafia had preferred to use their own method: poison.
The CIA and Mafia had reached a deal that the government would source the poison, and the mob would deliver the killer.
As the Mafia was searching for their hit man, former President John F. Kennedy was being sworn into office — and according to the book, legendary singer Frank Sinatra assured the mob that the then-president would be an ally.
After Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert, as his attorney general, the Mafia was worried the mission would be off. Robert was known for being an opponent against the mob, but in this case he was prepared to put his feeling aside.
With rising tensions between Cuba and the U.S., the mission was still on, and the CIA delivered the poison to Roselli.
Roselli handed the poison over to the delivery man who was to take it into Cuba and have it placed into Castro’s drink.
The book explains that while Castro did fall ill just days later, but he quickly recovered. Server wrote, “The illness had been a coincidence. Or the poison failed. Or the cook had been canned, or the agent had been caught or Castro had found a new place to eat.”
“At CIA headquarters, they were pacing the floors, tearing at their hair. They had invested $40 million dollars in an invasion. Twelve hundred men stood ready. Stories about the ‘top-secret’ rebel army were beginning to appear in newspapers. The element of surprise had all but slipped away,” Server added.
Soon after the failed attempt, the Post explains, Roselli was discovered inside a steel drum near Miami beach with his legs severed and placed next to him.
To this day, his murder has still never been solved.
–The Horn editorial team