As if it’s a surprise to anyone, the CIA released records today that detail a Kennedy-era plot to kill Fidel Castro with the help of the mob:

Among the more famous misdeeds included a plot against Castro. In August 1960, the CIA recruited ex-FBI agent Robert Maheu to approach mobster Johnny Roselli and pass himself off as the representative of international corporations who wanted Castro killed. Roselli introduced Maheu to “Sam Gold” and “Joe,” who were actually 10-most wanted mobsters Momo Giancana, Al Capone‘s successor in Chicago, Illinois, and Santos Trafficant. The CIA gave them six poison pills, and they tried unsuccessfully for several months to have several people put them in the Cuban leader’s food.

This particular plot was dropped after the failed CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, but other plots continued against Castro. Details of this plot first appeared in Jack Anderson’s newspaper column in 1971.

According to CNN, the records on the Castro are part of a collection of nearly 700 pages of internal records of CIA secrets which have never before been made public. Some other interesting tidbits include the organization’s spying on journalists and experimenting with LSD and other drugs “unwitting U.S. citizens”.

Via / CNN.com