THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF FIDEL CASTRO - Essay Example

? The Attempted Assassination of Fidel Castro No: The Attempted Assassination of FidelCastro Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the issue of attempted assassination of Fidel Castro. Background Fidel Castro wanted to overthrow the Batista’s government in Cuba due to rise in corruption, poverty and unemployment. Batista always got American support for saving his government from Castro attacks. Castro joined rebellious groups and attempted raids to get hold of the government. Finally, Castro became the new leader of Cuban nation in 1959. President of USA Dwight Eisenhower made plot with the help of CIA to assassinate Castro. America never enjoyed good relations with Cuba because they blame Castro for assassinating President John. F. Kennedy. Several attempts were made to assassinate Castro. However, he always survived and finally he handed over the government to his younger brother Raul Castro in 20061. Time, Date, Location of attempted assassination First plan for assassination was made in March 1960 in America. Name of the adventure was operation Mongoose. The JM WAVE was used as headquarter for the duration of the operation2. Major players American president made a plot with the help of CIA officials to assassinate Fidel Castro. Mainly CIA officials involved in the assassination plot were. Richard Bissell and Richard helms organized this plan. Almost 400 CIA officials were tasked to prepare the plan and finalize the operation. Edward Lansdale was appointed as the project leader and William Harvey was appointed head of the Task force3. On the other end USSR and America were the major players for their interests. Russia wanted to sell weapon to Cuba and tried to use it as its missile base. America wanted to take revenge of Kennedy assassination and selling of US owned land by the Castro. Mafia heads also wanted to assassinate Castro as Castro closed all their casinos and bars in Cuba4. Policy Issues Assassins had different interests to kill Castro. For example, the mafia wanted to establish business in Cuba. America wanted to run Cuba by a government that favors American policies5. Assassins made an attempt in April 1960, which could not materialize. Five more attempts were also made in next two years but all failed6. Assassins believed that only removal of one man would not halt the Cuban revolution so motivation of assassins was not too high to accomplish the mission7. Fidel Castro always had the complete knowledge of CIA attempts beforehand. Agenda Motive was to restore American will, policies, and America friendly government in Cuba. America wanted to use Cuba for avoiding any future clash with Russia on Cuban land. Russia wanted to use Cuban land as its missile base and strike US air force on the outbreak of any war8. America wanted to cultivate Cuban land owned by American people. Russia stared constructing launch sites for SAM (surface to air missile) to target America9. It was necessary to kill Fidel Castro in order to end the Cuban revolution. Cuban people supported Castro for anti American policies10. Castro’s assassination plot and attempts was not an individual action. It had complete support of American government. CIA and FBI officials were used to execute most of the plans11. Main reason for approval of assassination was o make American friendly government in Cuba. Another was to gain political mileage in forthcoming American elections12. Setup CIA agents in America planned assassination in 1960. JM WAVE was selected as headquarter for the mission. After several attempts, the CIA could not assassinate Castro. More than 1400 hundred CIA agents were planned in first assassination attempt13. Aftermath There was a major political shift in regional political policies. America stopped import of sugar. Russia moved weapons and missiles to Cuba. Russia fully supported Castro to face America in any crisis in future. Russia and America had almost reached at the verge of a nuclear war due to Cuban crisis and stakes14. Tactical and strategically objectives for America could not be materialized as they failed to assassinate Castro15. Assassination efforts further strengthened Cuban standing in the region. America could not mould world opinion in its favor. Cuba got full Russian support in all fields of economic growth and revolution also did not stop to change the life of Cuban people16. Conclusion Assassination could not prove affective as the CIA lost motivation despite making several attempts. Mafia also tried under the guidance of CIA agents but Castro never downed his guards. Newly changed American government was a bit reluctant to use CIA as it had already failed several times. Russian interference and chances of a war went in the favor of Castro. United States should have realized Russian involvement in the region. Secret agencies were not effective to achieve target. America lost a market in the shape of Cuba just because of a political reason. Bibliography Coltman, Leycester. The Real Fidel Castro. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2003. Fuentes, Norberto & Kushner, Anna. The Autobiography of Fidel Castro. New York: Norton & Co, 2010. Leonard, Thomas M. Fidel Castro: A Biography. London: Greenwood Press, 2004. Mallin, Jay. Covering Castro: Rise and Decline of Cuba's Communist Dictator. New York: Transaction Publishers, 1994. Read More