Operation Mongoose

The Kennedy administration program of sabotage against Castro era Cuba

Overview

Operation Mongoose was launched in late 1961 after the Bay of Pigs failure, comprising thirty three plans ranging from crop sabotage to fomenting internal resistance against the Castro government. It was stood down during the October 1962 missile crisis, when quiet resolution displaced pressure operations. Declassified Church Committee records later revealed assassination plotting against Castro, shocking the public and driving the executive ban on political assassination. The program remains a defining case of covert action escalation. The program was run by a special group chaired by Attorney General Robert Kennedy.