In the 1960s, the United States was deeply concerned about the rise of communist influence right in its own backyard. One country that stood at the heart of this concern was Cuba. A young, charismatic, and communist leader named Fidel Castro had taken control of the country, posing a significant threat to American interests. For the U.S., Cuba represented a dangerous proximity to the Soviet Union’s influence, which meant that America’s southern borders were potentially vulnerable to communist surveillance and aggression.
The Rise of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro’s rise to power in Cuba marked a turning point in Cold War geopolitics. Castro, a dedicated communist, had the backing of the Soviet Union, which created fear within the U.S. that Cuba would become a Soviet outpost just 90 miles from Florida. With such a stronghold, the Soviets could potentially monitor and threaten America’s southern territories.
Understanding the gravity of this situation, the U.S. government, specifically the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), began devising a plan to neutralize this threat. The CIA’s goal was simple: remove Fidel Castro from power, either by assassination or by overthrowing his government.
The CIA’s Covert Approach to Castro’s Assassination
Although the U.S. had the capability to eliminate Castro directly, the CIA knew that doing so openly could lead to major diplomatic and international consequences. Killing a communist leader with open Soviet support would likely escalate tensions with the Soviet Union, pushing the world closer to a nuclear conflict. The CIA understood that the assassination had to be carried out covertly, and the U.S. involvement needed to be untraceable.
This dilemma led to a novel approach in assassination tactics that the CIA would later refine into an infamous template for covert operations. In the early 1960s, the CIA formulated Project Johnny—a secret operation that aimed to use organized crime to carry out the assassination of Fidel Castro.
The Mafia Connection: Giancana and Roselli
In their plan to eliminate Castro, the CIA turned to some unlikely allies—the Mafia. The intelligence agency believed that organized crime syndicates, which already operated in the shadows and had significant networks of hitmen and enforcers, would be the perfect candidates for a deniable operation.
The CIA reached out to two notorious Mafia figures: Sam Giancana, a powerful Mafia boss in Chicago, and John Roselli, a Mafia enforcer with strong ties to the Las Vegas criminal underworld. Both men had extensive criminal networks and were deeply embedded in the world of illegal gambling, drugs, and smuggling.
Giancana and Roselli were targeted by the CIA because they had their own reasons to see Castro removed from power. The Mafia had once controlled many of the casinos and illicit businesses in Havana before Castro’s rise, but his communist regime had shut them down. By working with the CIA, the Mafia hoped to regain their foothold in Cuba.
Project Johnny: Assassination Attempts on Fidel Castro
The operation, known as Project Johnny, named after John Roselli, became the CIA’s clandestine effort to remove Castro using Mafia resources. Giancana and Roselli were initially detained by the CIA, but they were soon trained and briefed on the operation, along with other Mafia members. The plan was to use Mafia hitmen to assassinate Fidel Castro—a plan that involved various innovative and dangerous methods.
Over the years, there were numerous attempts to kill Castro, many of which read like stories from spy novels. One notable attempt involved poisoning Castro’s food. The CIA, through its Mafia intermediaries, tried to infiltrate Castro’s inner circle with the goal of slipping a lethal poison into his meals. Another attempt involved assassinating Castro in public by using Mafia gunmen during one of his public appearances.
Despite multiple attempts, however, Fidel Castro survived. The CIA’s covert collaboration with the Mafia never succeeded in its ultimate goal of removing the Cuban leader. Castro proved to be a difficult target, avoiding death despite the numerous assassination attempts that continued throughout the 1960s.
The Global Legacy of Project Johnny
Although Project Johnny failed to achieve its main objective, the operation had long-lasting effects on the world of covert intelligence. It set a template for future covert operations, showing intelligence agencies around the world the potential of using non-state actors like the Mafia to carry out missions where governments could not be directly involved.
One of the key takeaways from Project Johnny was the use of criminal networks for covert operations. Organized crime syndicates, with their extensive underground operations and experience in illicit activities, became valuable assets for intelligence agencies. The nexus of drugs, criminal operations, and covert intelligence became a crucial part of future espionage efforts around the world.
Project Johnny also highlighted the dangers of outsourcing assassinations to criminal elements. The complicated relationship between government agencies and the Mafia led to numerous ethical and legal challenges. The lines between government intelligence operations and criminal enterprises became blurred, creating a dangerous precedent that would influence future intelligence work.
Conclusion: The Continuing Influence of Project Johnny
Today, Project Johnny is considered a landmark operation in the history of espionage. Though it failed in its immediate goal, the project showcased the CIA’s ability to think creatively in dealing with global threats during the Cold War. The use of Mafia hitmen as a tool of foreign policy was an innovative, if ethically questionable, strategy that left a lasting impact on intelligence agencies worldwide.
The story of Fidel Castro’s survival against countless assassination attempts and the U.S. government’s covert operations has become a part of Cold War lore. The lessons learned from Project Johnny shaped the future of covert action, demonstrating how intelligence agencies could operate indirectly, using external agents to achieve politically sensitive objectives.
Although the Mafia never succeeded in removing Castro, the legacy of their collaboration with the CIA has become a case study in the potential—and the pitfalls—of covert intelligence work. As espionage tactics evolved over the decades, the lessons of Project Johnny continued to resonate in intelligence communities around the world. The game, as they say, was in front of everyone—connect the dots and understand the bigger picture.
The world of espionage, crime, and covert operations had changed forever.
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