Introduction
Operation Mongoose, officially known as the Cuba Project, was a covert operation initiated by the United States government in 1961. Its primary goal was to remove the communist government led by Fidel Castro in Cuba. This secret program represented one of the most dynamic and multifaceted efforts by the CIA to assert U.S. dominance during the Cold War, especially following the embarrassing defeat in the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Timeline and Phases
Operation Mongoose was conceived in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs Invasion and officially began in November 1961. The operation spanned several years with varying levels of activity, peaking in 1962 before winding down by 1963, especially after the Cuban Missile Crisis highlighted the dangers of aggressive covert operations.
**1961**
- **November**: U.S. President John F. Kennedy authorizes the start of Operation Mongoose.
**1962**
- **January**: The operation is formally staffed and structured.
- **Summer**: Intensified sabotage missions and psychological operations are conducted.
- **October**: The Cuban Missile Crisis temporarily halts operations.
**1963**
- **Following the missile crisis resolution**, the operation continues with reduced intensity, focusing more on intelligence gathering than active sabotage.
Key Figures Involved
Operation Mongoose involved numerous individuals from various arms of the U.S. government, primarily from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense, and the State Department. Here are some of the pivotal figures:
- **John F. Kennedy**: President of the United States, who approved and supported the operation.
- **Robert F. Kennedy**: Attorney General at the time and John F. Kennedy’s brother, he was deeply involved in the oversight of the operation.
- **Edward Lansdale**: A major general in the Air Force and a specialist in guerrilla warfare, Lansdale was appointed to head the operation.
- **Allen Dulles**: CIA Director until November 1961, when he was succeeded by John McCone. It should be noted that Allen Dulles would continue his shadow intelligence werx even though he was no longer the Director of the CIA.
- **John McCone**: Took over as CIA Director and continued the agency's involvement in the operation (also a future member of the Warren Commission along with Dulles).
- **Sidney Gottlieb**: CIA's technical services staff head who was involved in the planning of assassination attempts against Castro, including the infamous "exploding cigar" plot.
- **William Harvey**: Tasked with overseeing assassination efforts as part of the operation’s aggressive strategies against Castro.
Covert Actions and Strategies
Operation Mongoose included a range of activities aimed at destabilizing the Cuban government:
- **Sabotage**: Destruction of industrial facilities, sugar mills, and oil refineries.
- **Psychological Warfare**: Propaganda campaigns aimed at turning the Cuban population against the Castro regime.
- **Political Action**: Support for dissident groups within Cuba.
- **Assassination Plots**: Various failed attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro.
- **Economic Warfare**: Efforts to undermine Cuba’s economy through trade embargoes and other measures.
If any of this sounds familiar, just take a look at our own current domestic policies. We seem to have mastered exactly what we did to Cuba, only now it’s aimed against the American people. This is all straight out of the Deep States playbook. Kennedy, just like Trump, surrounded himself by the enemy within.
Impact and Legacy
The operation failed to achieve its primary goal of overthrowing Castro but had significant implications:
- **Increased Hostility**: Operation Mongoose exacerbated U.S.-Cuban tensions, contributing to the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- **Ethical and Legal Questions**: The operation led to debates over the legality and morality of U.S. covert operations abroad. In fact Truman, the president that created the CIA, began making comments about his regret at forming the agency.
- **Legacy in U.S. Foreign Policy**: The operation has been studied as an example of the risks associated with covert intervention in foreign governments.
Conclusion
Operation Mongoose remains a dark chapter in American history, like nearly everything since the inception of the CIA, emblematic of the Cold War era's complexities and the lengths to which the U.S. government would go to combat communism (insert Ukraine here).