CIA, MAFIA, CASTRO, JFK, GOP...

I hate conspiracy theories and conspiracy theory buffs. But in light of the CIA publishing-- being forced to pulish-- over 700 pages of documents, The Family Jewels, pertaining to, among other nefarious undertakings of our government, the plot to assasinate Cuban President Fidel Castro in 1960, does anyone think maybe we should get some competent investigators to look into who exactly did kill JFK?

The mass media hasn't exactly jumped all over this, but I found a report in the Chicago Tribune today, probably because of the Mafia connection. The report trivializes the attempted assasination of Castro (and the successful assasination of Congolese President Patrice Lumumba, the effects of which are still being felt today in that most unfortunate of countries).

Some disclosures, such as the CIA's ill-fated attempts to enlist Chicago Mafia boss Sam Giancana to arrange the assassination of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, by hiring someone to slip CIA-manufactured poison pills in Castro's "food or drink," have become the stuff of popular legend and even the subject of movies.

An aside to the plot against Castro was Giancana's concern that his then-companion, singer Phyllis McGuire of the McGuire Systers, was seeing comedian Dan Rowan on the side while both were appearing at the same Las Vegas hotel. Giancana persuaded the CIA to send one of its technicians to bug Rowan's hotel room, but the technician was surprised in the act and arrested.

The U.S. Justice Department signalled its intention to prosecute the technician and also Robert Maheu, the Las Vegas public relations executive who had served as liaison between the CIA and the Mafia, the CIA intervened and "at our request, the prosecution was dropped."

The papers describe the CIA's man to work with on the assasination of Castro as "the chieftain of the Cosa Nostra and the successor to Al Capone." The attempt failed but there are those who think it... inspired the assasination of JFK.

According to an account in the Guardian the plot to kill Castro started in 1960 because he was judged to be a "Soviet stooge."

The documents released yesterday describe how a CIA officer, Richard Bissell, approached the CIA's Office of Security to establish whether it had "assets that may assist in a sensitive mission requiring gangster-type action. The mission target was Fidel Castro."

The dossier continues: "Because of its extreme sensitivity, only a small group was made privy to the project. The DCI (Director of Central Intelligence Allen Welsh Dulles) was briefed and gave his approval."

Following the meeting with the Office of Security, Bissell employed a go-between, Robert Maheu, and asked him to make contact with "gangster elements." Maheu subsequently reported an approach to Johnny Roselli in Las Vegas. Roselli is described as "a high-ranking member of the 'syndicate' (who) controlled all the ice-making machines on the (Las Vegas) Strip and (who) undoubtedly had connections leading into the Cuban gambling interests."

The CIA is careful to cover its tracks. According to the dossier, Maheu told Roselli that he (Maheu) has been retained by international businesses suffering "heavy financial losses in Cuba as a result of Castro's action. They were convinced that Castro's removal was the answer to their problem and were willing to pay the price of $150,000 (£75,000) for its successful accomplishment."

Roselli was also told that the US government was not, and must not become aware of the operation.

Roselli in turn led the CIA to a friend, known as Sam Gold. In September 1960, Maheu was introduced to Gold and his associate, known as Joe. In a development that appears to underscore the amateurishness of the whole operation, Maheu subsequently accidentally spotted photographs of "Sam and Joe" in Parade magazine.

Gold was in fact Momo Salvatore Giancana, "the chieftain of Cosa Nostra (the mafia) and the successor to Al Capone." Joe was actually Santos Trafficante, Cosa Nostra boss of Cuban operations.

At a meeting at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Gold/Giancana suggested that rather than try to shoot or blow up Mr Castro, "some type of potent pill that could be placed in Castro's food or drink would be much more effective."

He said a corrupt Cuban official, named as Juan Orta, who was in debt to the syndicate and had access to the Cuban leader, would carry out the poisoning. The CIA subsequently obtained and supplied "six pills of high lethal content" to Orta but after several weeks of abortive attempts, Orta demanded "out" of the operation.

Ah... today's Washington Post has a column on the story with an interesting ending I had forgotten about: "Roselli later told columnist Jack Anderson about the plot after the CIA refused to help him fight deportation. He disappeared shortly after testifying to the Church Committee. His body was later found in a 55-gallon oil drum near the coastline of North Miami Beach."