NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: "CASTRO PLOT RAISES UGLY QUESTIONS," BY JACK ANDERSON, THE WASHINGTON POST
Document Type:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
00430602
Release Decision:
RIFPUB
Original Classification:
U
Document Page Count:
1
Document Creation Date:
June 6, 2025
Document Release Date:
June 12, 2025
Publication Date:
January 19, 1971
File:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE CASTRO [16505766].pdf [3] | 116.29 KB |
Body:
104-10122-10297 ' ty The Washington Merry-Go-Round APPROVED FOR RELEASE 1993 CIA IIISTORICAL REVIEW FROP.Nril .THE WASHINGTON POS1 Castro Plot Raises Ugly Questions Tuesday, /en. 19, 1971 D15 By Jack Anderson The plot to kill Cuban vdic- Lator Fidel Castro, hidden for 10 years from the public; raises some ugly questions that high officials would rather keep buried deep inside the Central Intelligence Agency. l. Has the CIA. tried to as- sassinate any other leaders? John McCone, who headed the CIA during the six attempts to knock off Castro, denied emphatically that the CIA has tried to kill anyone. But ex- Sen. George Smathers, one of John F. Kennedy's closest friends, told us the late Presi- dent auspected that the CIA had arranged the shootings of the Dominican Republic's Ra- fael Trujillo in 1961 and South Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. � 2. Did President Kennedy personally sanction the plot against Castro? The prepara- rations to assassinate the Cu- ban dictator began during the last months of the Eisenhower administration as part of the Bay of Pigs scheme. All six attempts, however, were made during 1961-63 when Mr. Ken- nedy -occupied the White House. Smothers told us he once spoke to the late Presi- dent about assassinating Cas- tro. Mr. Kennedy -mer e ly rolled back his eyes, recalled Smathers, as if to indicate the idea was too wild to discuss. Subsequently, Mr. Kennedy told SinatherE. of his suspicion that the CIA may na�i- been behind the Trujillo and Diem assassinations. 3. Did the late Robert Ken- nedy know about the assassina- tion attempts? After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, President Ken- nedy swore to friends he would like "to splinter the CIA in a thousand pieces and scat- ter it to the winds." He put his brother, Robert, in charge of the CIA with instructions to shake it up. The CIA made five attempts on Castro's life after the Bay of Pigs while Robert Kennedy was riding herd on the agency. 4. Could the plot against Castro have backfired against President Kennedy? The late President was murdered nine months after the last assassi- nation team was caught on a Havana rooftop with high- powered rifles. Presumably, they were subjected to fiend- ish tortures until they told all they knew. None of the assas- sination teams, however, had direct knowledge of the CIA involvement_ The CIA insti- gators had represented them- selves as oilmen seeking re- venge against Castro for his seizure of oil holdings. PLOT BACKFIRE? Former associates recall that Robert Kennedy. deep- ly despondent, went into semi- seclusion after his brother's assassination. Could he have been tormented by more than natural grief? He certainly learned that the assassin, Lee liarve.i, Oswald. hat' been ac tire in the pro-Casir.., move- ment and had traveled to sa n, there was a; wide -aPec-"_:-. Mexico to visit the Cuban tru-n of plans ranging from � Embassy a few weeks before one e x tre me to- ;mother," the dreadful day in Dallas. Could Bob Kennedy have � r McClne admitted. "Whenever:: this Fetbject (assassinating 1.:AW::�� been plagued by the terrible tro) was brought up�andik thought that the CIA plot, was it was rejittd itame.t. which he must at least have condoned, put into motion diately ern two grkatds. First, forces that may have brought it would not be condoned by about his brother's martyr- dom? The last surviving brother, Sen. Ted Kennedy (1)-Mass), places, Alec one acknowledged, could give us no insight. His brothers had never spoken to of suPPertaW a coup to oust a". Diem. The former CIA di- '- him about any assassination attempts against Castro, he rector said "e had argued i! said. He was aware, he volun- against this secret session teered, only that Sen. Smath- with both Keenedy brothers. ers had talked to the late He had conte:,hed that there was no one Wong enough to President about eliminating Castro. Smathers told us that Presi- dent Kennedy seemed "horri- fied" at the idea of political assassinations. "I remember him saying," recalled Smath- ers, "that the CIA frequently did things he didn't know about, and he was unhappy about it He complained that anybody. Second, it wouldn't have ach�t.ved anything." There v. its also talk in high take Diem's pia�-:e and that a coup, therefort would bring "political upheal.al " "I told the President . and - � p Bobby together," recalled Mc- Cone, "that if I were running a baseball team and had only one pitcher, I wouldn't take.; him out of the game." 2 The November, 1963, cou_ the CIA was almost autono- caught the United States corn- mous. pletely by surprise, he said.N. "He told me be believed the While the plotters ng on the palace, he said, l'rere xnov- CIA had arranged to have I Diem and Trujillo bumped off. then-Ambassador Henry Cabot He was pretty well shocked Lodge was visiting Diem. about that. He thought it was a stupid thing to do, and he wanted to get control of what Adm. Ulysses Sharp, then our Pacific commander, had also ' been present but had left -'1 the CIA was doing." early to go to the airport. But McCone, disagreeing McCone said President r' vigorously, told us that ,.n,, 'Diem escaped through a tun- : plot was authorized or imple-'nel but was caught in nearby -c mented" to assassinate CastroiCholon and "shot in a station - Trujillo. Diem .nt anyone sr. lwagon " "During those days of kin.; 1- 197.1 Beal-McClure STLcile�t� the.