Desmond FitzGerald Options

[John Simkin]

In 1962 Desmond FitzGerald was appointed Chief of the Cuban Task Force. According to Sam Halpern, Robert Kennedy put FitzGerald under a lot of pressure to arrange the assassination of Fidel Castro. Halpern later claimed that "Bobby Kennedy was a bad influence on Des. He reinforced his worst instincts."

FitzGerald personally organized three different plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. This included working with Rolando Cubela, a senior official in Castro's government. He was given the codename AM/LASH and reported to JM/WAVE. However, Joseph Langosch, of the Special Affairs Staff, suspected that Cubela was a "dangle" (a double agent recruited by Castro to penetrate the American plots against him". This idea was reinforced when Cubela refused to take a lie-detector test.

In September, 1963, Cubela had a meeting with the CIA in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was suggested that Cubela should assassinate Fidel Castro. According to a CIA report Cubela asked for a meeting with Robert Kennedy: "for assurances of U.S. moral support for any activity Cubela under took in Cuba." This was not possible but FitzGerald, now Chief of the Cuban Task Force, agreed to meet Cubela. Ted Shackley was opposed to the idea as he was now convinced that Cubela was a double-agent.

FitzGerald and Nestor Sanchez met Cubela met in Paris on 29th October, 1963. Cubela requested a "high-powered, silenced rifle with an effective range of hundreds of thousands of yards" in order to kill Fidel Castro. The CIA refused and instead insisted on Cubela used poison. On 22nd November, 1963, FitzGerald handed over a pen/syringe. He was told to use Black Leaf 40 (a deadly poison) to kill Castro. As Cubela was leaving the meeting, he was informed that JFK had been assassinated.

Desmond FitzGerald died of a heart attack while playing tennis in Virginia on 23rd July, 1967. He was only 57 years old. Another convenient death.

The photograph below shows Desmond FitzGerald with his first wife, Marietta Peabody.

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