Fidel Castro how many attempts on his life. The most unusual assassination attempts on Fidel Castro

A man of the era has passed away - Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz. After surviving 638 assassination attempts, he died peacefully at the age of 90. He will remain a symbol of the Island of Freedom - Cuba, as the first person who radically changed the life of a whole generation of Cubans, and not only them. History will change attitudes about him more than once, probably from a variety of angles - the memory of even contemporaries is changeable. But he will remain an iconic figure in world history.

“Cuba is far away, Cuba is near” - the lines from the song of the Soviet era were dedicated specifically to Fidel Castro, the leader of the Cuban revolution. It was understood that the distant island was almost the sixteenth republic of the USSR. In addition to the fact that we received almost a third of Cuban cane sugar, which was sold “by weight” in almost every rural store, exotic Havana Club rum, which even Siberian men hung over, Cuban cigars, which were a little more expensive than shag and Prima cigarettes , Cuba was the same outpost of the Soviet Union off the coast of a completely non-peaceful America, which made it possible to maintain the fragile balance of peace.
During the Caribbean crisis, it was the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba that prevented a global world crisis. And the most significant role in this confrontation was played by Fidel Castro, who played on the side of Moscow, not Washington. It is very difficult to assess the role of Fidel Castro in world history. Many are now mourning his death, there are those who openly rejoice at the death of the Comandante (comrade-in-arms and friend of the no less legendary Che Guevara). In Russia, those who remember Fidel not only from their pages on social networks are sincerely sorry, those who do not remember shrug their shoulders indifferently. Nevertheless, it was Fidel Castro who played a huge role in establishing friendly relations between our countries. Then, in the sixties and seventies of the last millennium, it was not just friendship and assurances of loyalty, it was a guarantee of maintaining nuclear parity, when every advantageous position, like in the United States and the USSR, provided the likelihood of a retaliatory strike. NATO was based in Europe, then only Western. The Soviet Union, thanks to Cuba, could deliver a retaliatory and inevitable blow right in the stomach of the United States. And this could not be ignored. “In the series of events and actions of the heroic epic of Fidel Castro and Cuba, I highlight the last 25 years,” notes Alexander Zimovsky, an international journalist who personally met with Castro. - After the disappearance of the USSR from the map of the world, Fidel Castro and Cuba were left alone with the United States and their satellites in the Western Hemisphere. And Fidel managed to save the country, practically without changing anything either in ideology or in the economy. While the former allied countries of the USSR went into oblivion, and various pro-Western regimes appeared in their place, Fidel continued to be a model of a principled and unchanging foreign and domestic policy.

First, Cuba, having lost the economic support of the USSR, developed its own domestic economic program.

Secondly, Castro was able to use the weakening of the US geopolitical positions in Latin America. That is, Fidel lived to see the Latin American “left turn” and a full-scale restoration of relations with states south of the Rio Grande.

Thirdly, the domestic political situation in the United States has changed, where Latinos have become one of the most influential groups of voters. Internal pressure also led to a change in US policy towards Cuba, and Obama made his moves.

Thus, it was precisely Fidel's political longevity and enormous political authority that turned modern Latin America, which was only a "backyard" of the United States, into a region open to other great powers. Simply put, if it were not for Fidel, we would not have seen the Russian flag and Russian business on this continent for a very long time.

And, of course, this will be the glorious historical trace of the Comandante. About the longevity of Fidel, who survived almost all political leaders from the camp of both opponents and allies (Soviet Secretary General Leonid Brezhnev died back in 1982), legends and anecdotes circulated during his lifetime. One of them said that when the commander, having received a parrot as a gift and learning that he had been living for three hundred years, said sadly: “It will be a pity to leave.” Even after transferring political power in Cuba to his brother Raul, Fidel remained not just a symbol of Cuba, but also an active participant in the events in the country. And when American President Barack Obama flew to Cuba, he ignored this fact and did not even comment on this event. Like Raul Castro, who defiantly did not shake the outstretched hand of the American president, Cubans do not forgive old grievances.

The resentment of the Cubans remained in relation to Russia. When, in the early 1990s, Moscow disowned Havana and curtailed both its military and commercial presence in Cuba, the Cubans bluntly announced their betrayal. They sincerely believed in us and hoped for help. Now relations have returned almost to their previous course, and Cuba is ready for them on a full scale. On the island of Liberty, they are ready to accept not only Russian tourists, but also the Russian military as a guarantor of their own security. And this was precisely the will of Fidel Castro, who always believed that partnership and alliance with Russia would ensure Cuba's prosperity. “It was a real disaster when Russia turned away from Cuba under American pressure,” says a former correspondent for the Cuban government newspaper Granma ( Granma). “But we knew perfectly well that this was not the will of the Russian people, but only short-term circumstances. And our leader Fidel Castro did not allow himself then a single negative word about your country, only a certain regret. Even when the representative office of our newspaper in Moscow was closed, the tone of the publications regarding Russia did not change. And the work of the Cuban embassy in Moscow has never stopped. And now, after the death of Comandante Fidel, I am sure that our relations will not worsen. Havana and Moscow are nearby!” As a brief and almost lyrical digression about the Cuban journalist, who once graduated from the military journalism department in the Soviet Union, one can recall his personal participation in strengthening friendly ties between Russia and Cuba. When in 1992 there were problems with the sale of tobacco products in Moscow, Pedro Prado brought his friends to the editorial office of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper ... Cuban cigars. As a "retaliatory move", he was invited on an excursion to the Moscow plant "Crystal", where they could not do without a light tasting. However, the tone of his publications about Russia did not depend on such contacts - like most of the Cubans who studied with us, Pedro Prado always believed that friendship is a round-the-clock concept. Cuba will deviate from its path, says Pedro Prado. “Life goes on and our country will not lower the flag of Liberty Island.”

Image copyright AP Image caption None of the assassination attempts on Castro were successful.

It is known that during the long life of Fidel Castro, more than 630 assassination attempts were planned against him. The most famous case is a conspiracy in which they were going to send him to another world with the help of a cigar stuffed with explosives.

But there were other, no less exotic assassination attempts. Among them are a poisoned diving suit, poisoned shaving cream, and mined seashells.

The CIA and Miami-based Cuban exiles have been plotting for nearly half a century, plotting ways to get rid of a leader who, in the words of former US diplomat Wayne Smith, acted on them like a full moon on a werewolf.

Castro himself once remarked that if the art of surviving assassination attempts had been included in the Olympics program, he would certainly have won a gold medal.

The book by former Castro bodyguard Fabian Escalante recounts many of these conspiracies, most of which have remained at the level of fantasy.

It was known that Fidel Castro was fond of scuba diving, so it was decided to plant an exotic shell filled with explosives that was supposed to explode in his hands.

In the same category is a plan to create a wetsuit infected with a fungus that can cause a dangerous disease. Both plans were considered unproductive and were never implemented.

However, as early as 1975, a US Senate committee published details of at least eight plans to assassinate Castro using devices that, the report said, were "astonishing."

Twice, Cuban gangsters were sent with confidants to Cuba poison in the form of pills, which they had to somehow deliver to Fidel.

Almost at the same moment that President Kennedy was shot dead in an attempt to overthrow the Castro regime during the landings in the Bay of Pigs in 1961, a CIA agent handed a poisoned fountain pen equipped with a thin needle to a Cuban he had recruited.

However, as stated in the report, the recruited agent was not impressed with the idea and asked for something less obvious.

At the same time, the CIA recruited Castro's former lover Marita Lorenz: she was given poison pills, which she had to dissolve in a glass of water and give to the Cuban leader.

However, Castro found out about this plot and, according to the would-be assassin, handed Marita his gun with the words: "I cannot be killed. No one can kill me."

According to Marita, who told this story to a New York Daily News reporter many years later, “he was smiling and chewing his cigar. I felt that life was leaving me. He knew me so well. Then he grabbed me, and we made love."

The last attempt to assassinate Castro was made in 2000, when during the visit of the Cuban leader to Panama, it was planned to plant explosives under his podium. This plan was uncovered by the Cuban president's bodyguards.

Four members of the conspiracy were then arrested, including a CIA agent and an old Cuban émigré, Luis Posada. He ended up in prison, but was later released under an amnesty.

Other plans were also developed - not to take away Castro's life, but to put him in an awkward position and make him a laughing stock.

One such plan was to strip Castro of his famous beard while on a foreign visit with thallium salt applied to his shoes. It was assumed that during the trip Castro's beard would thin or fall out completely, but Fidel canceled the visit and the plan failed.

Another failed plan was to spray an aerosol with LSD in the TV studio, from where Castro was going to address the people - in the hope that Fidel would become insane.

To avoid these assassination attempts, Castro took careful precautions. But in 1979, when he attended the UN General Assembly in New York, he couldn't help but joke.

Asked by journalists flying with him if he was wearing body armor, Castro unbuttoned his shirt and exposed his chest.

"I wear a moral vest," he replied.

The former revolutionary and leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, was a real lucky man and a legendary survivor. According to Cuban officials, more than six hundred attempts were made on his life. The man spent most of his long life in the spotlight, surviving half a century of assassination plots. But, despite the desperate attempts of ill-wishers, Fidel died of natural causes at the age of ninety.

Fidel Castro activities

Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist after he assumed leadership of Cuba. Even before this, the staunchly anti-communist US government had suspicions about Fidel's political beliefs based on the content of his fiery speeches. Suspicions were confirmed in the first year of the new Cuba, as the country developed more and more relations with the Soviet Union.

Indeed, Castro's philosophy gravitated toward Leninist Marxism as his rule developed, although his beliefs differentiated in some key respects, such as his identification with non-aligned countries and guerrilla-style celebrations of the revolution. The best way to understand Castroism is to study a system that sought to combine the economic and political elements of Marxism with those of Simón Bolívar, whose anti-imperialist thrust is evident in Fidel's own philosophy.

How many times have there been attempts on Fidel Castro's life?

Fabian Escalante, formerly head of Cuba's intelligence agency and the man who has been in charge of protecting the Cuban president for half a century, claims that Cuban agents are aware of 638 plots and attempts on Fidel's life.

List of assassination attempts

According to Cuban agents who have chronicled abuses by the United States intelligence services since the mid-seventies, they tried to kill Fidel in the most sophisticated ways. Here are some of them:

• Poisoned ice cream.
• Exploding shellfish.
• Poisoned wetsuit.

• Killer lover.
• Poisoned pen.
• Poison drugs based on LSD.
• Poisoned cigar.

Why did Fidel Castro have so many detractors?

For all its achievements in social policy, Fidel Castro's forty-nine-year reign was characterized by a brutal crackdown on freedom of expression. Amnesty International has been documenting the human rights situation in the island nation for over fifty years. During this time, they have collected hundreds of testimonies from "prisoners of conscience," people detained by the government simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression, association, and assembly.

The state of free speech in Cuba, where activists continued to be arrested and harassed for speaking out against the government, is Fidel Castro's darkest legacy.

The reason for overthrowing the Cuban president was his dictatorship, as well as his connections with the government of the Soviet Union. Fidel's communist and anti-imperialist views were frowned upon by the US. When the revolutionary allowed the Soviets to place missiles on his island, the States began to actively look for ways to eliminate the external threat in the face of Castro.

Conclusion

The peaceful death of Fidel Castro was the occasion for many respectful public statements by heads of state and leading politicians around the world. Notable figures such as Russian Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachev, British Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, Canadian Justin Trudeau, US President Obama and Hillary Clinton called the late President Castro an "important historical figure", a "major figure" and a "defender of social justice" . His reputation as a cheater of death was established at an early age. As a young revolutionary, he was twice killed by the Cuban press - "killed" once when he led a failed uprising against the military barracks, and again when he returned from exile on a boat with guerrilla forces.

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August 13 is the birthday of one of the most famous revolutionaries of the 21st century Fidel Alejandro Castro. He became the leader of Cuba in 1959 after the overthrow of the dictatorial regime. Fulgencio Batista. Fidel acted as an opponent of the United States and established allied relations with the USSR. In fact, he resigned in 2006 due to illness and hospitalization, transferring power to his brother Raul Castro.

On the birthday of the Comandante, AiF.ru collected 8 interesting facts from the life of Fidel Castro.

13 year old revolutionary

The illegitimate son of a large landowner and a cook, Fidel grew up in a wealthy family, having received a good upbringing and education.

At the age of 13, Castro participated in a labor uprising on his father's sugar plantation. Max Lestnik, Castro's school friend, recalled: “He had great courage. They said whoever follows Fidel will die or win.”

Fidel Castro, 1953 Photo: www.globallookpress.com

In 1953, Castro organized an uprising against the dictator Fulgencio Batista, which was brutally suppressed. Fidel himself was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but released under an amnesty in May 1955. Thus, he spent less than two years in prison.

The victory of the revolution

In 1956, a group of revolutionaries, including Fidel, his brother Raul Castro and Argentinean Ernesto "Che" Guevara came from Mexico to Cuba. Soon the revolutionaries were attacked by troops, many died or were captured.

The survivors at first did not pose a danger to the Batista regime, but later the partisan movement grew. In 1957-1958, the Rebel Army was formed, the commander-in-chief of which was Fidel Castro.

On January 1, 1959, Castro's rebel forces occupied Havana, Batista fled to the Dominican Republic. Castro became commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and in February took over as prime minister. Later, in 1976, a new Cuban constitution was adopted, and Fidel took over as chairman of the Council of State.

At the center of the global scandal

In October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. A US reconnaissance aircraft spotted Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles in Cuba. Only after intense negotiations American President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev managed to resolve the crisis: the USSR withdrew missiles from Cuba, the United States, in response, abandoned plans for a military invasion of the island and withdrew nuclear weapons from Turkey.

CIA assassination attempts

On November 20, 1975, the United States released information about eight unsuccessful attempts on the life of Castro, undertaken by the CIA from 1960 to 1965. According to Cuban authorities, during the years of Fidel's rule, the CIA made more than 638 attempts to kill the dictator.

The most sophisticated methods of assassinating Castro were:

• gift scuba gear with a tuberculosis bacillus;
• poisoned ballpoint pen;
• exploding cigar;
• poison pills sealed in a tube of cream, etc.

Fidel Castro. Date of filming unknown. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

fiery speaker

Fidel Castro entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most fiery speaker - his speech to the UN on September 29, 1960 lasted 4 hours and 29 minutes. Castro's longest speech was delivered at the Third Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in 1986 and lasted 7 hours and 10 minutes.

Excommunicated

Fidel was excommunicated in 1962 Pope John XXIII for adherence to communism. Until the mid-1990s, Cuba was an atheist state, but after Fidel began rapprochement with the Catholic Church, hoping to use it to enlist international support and persuade the United States to lift the economic embargo against the country.

January 1998 Pope John Paul II visited Cuba and met with Fidel, after which he called on the United States to ease economic pressure on Cuba.

In October 2000, the US House of Representatives overhauled the trade embargo against Cuba and allowed limited supplies of food and medicine to that country.

Fidel Castro addresses the gathering in Havana. September 28, 2010. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

State of the Comandante

In 2005, Forbes magazine named Castro one of the world's richest people and estimated his personal fortune at $550 million. In 2006, it was already about 900 million. Castro was outraged by these reports and vehemently denied receiving income from state-owned enterprises.

Live in spite of all

Reports of the death of Fidel Castro appear in the media every few years. So, the Cuban leader was "buried" in 1986, 1994, 2007, 2009 and 2012.

In October 2012, the media reported that Castro suffered a stroke and stopped recognizing people, and also began to experience speech problems. However, the Cuban government and Castro's relatives.

Previously, he was credited with diseases such as cerebral hemorrhage, rectal cancer, Parkinson's disease.