16 Other Fidel Castro Operations
U.S. military developed kooky plots to oust Cuba's charismatic leader
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16 Other Fidel Castro Operations
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16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations -
16 Other Fidel Castro Operations
AUGUST 1--Now that Fidel Castro has ceded power due to illness, the end of the Cuban president's 47-year rule may be nearing--something that the U.S. government has sought for decades. In fact, American military leaders once drafted memos detailing various proposed plots to destabilize Castro's government and topple its charismatic leader. The formerly Top Secret U.S. Army records, copies of which you'll find below, describe 16 separate 'operations' with codenames like 'Operation Bingo' and 'Operation Dirty Trick' (the latter scheme would have tried to pin the possible failure of the Mercury manned orbit flight on Cubans and other Reds). But the most inspired of Uncle Sam's kooky Cold War-era plans was 'Operation Good Times,' which would have sought to disillusion Castro's constituents via the distribution of 'fake photographic material.' Specifically, the proposed doctored images would have shown 'an obese Castro with two beauties' in a lavish residence complete with 'a table brimming over with the most delectable Cuban food.' A caption would have noted that, 'My ration is different.' The sight of the well-fed revolutionary, Army officials concluded, 'should put even a Commie Dictator in the proper perspective with the underprivileged masses.' (8 pages)
