Account of a CIA Plot Involving Marita Lorenz & Fidel Castro

The CIA recruited Fidel Castro’s lovers Ms Marita Lorenz back in early 60’s, giving her poison pills to kill him.

Here is a Documented Account of a CIA Plot Involving Marita Lorenz & Fidel Castro.
A historically grounded retelling based on reporting from BBC, New York Daily News, NBC, and biographical sources.

The CIA’s Long Campaign Against Fidel Castro during the Cold War, the United States government and the CIA pursued numerous covert operations aimed at removing Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Historians widely note that hundreds of plots were developed over several decades, ranging from political destabilisation to direct assassination attempts. One of the most unusual stories involves Marita Lorenz, a German‑American woman who had a relationship with Castro in 1959.

According to her own accounts, reported in outlets such as BBC, New York Daily News, and NBC, Lorenz later became entangled in a CIA plan that attempted to use her proximity to Castro as a covert advantage.

Who Was Marita Lorenz?
Born in 1939 in Bremen, Germany. Met Fidel Castro in 1959 during a visit to Havana, entered a personal relationship with him shortly afterward. Later recruited by anti‑Castro operatives connected to the CIA in 1960.

Lorenz has stated in multiple interviews and testimonies that she was approached because of her access to Castro and was given poison capsules intended for use during a return trip to Cuba.

The Alleged Poison Plot
According to Lorenz’s own retellings:

– She was provided with poison pills designed to be slipped into Castro’s food or drink.
– The pills reportedly dissolved in the container she hid them in, leaving her unsure whether the plan was even feasible.
– When she arrived in Havana, Castro quickly sensed that something was wrong.

These details appear in her interviews and in historical summaries of her life and involvement with U.S. intelligence activities.

The Confrontation: Castro’s Reaction
Lorenz told the New York Daily News and other outlets that when Castro realised she had been sent to kill him, he confronted her directly. She recalled that he handed her his own handgun and challenged her to carry out the mission.

Her quoted recollection:

“You can’t kill me. Nobody can kill me.”
This was as reported in BBC and New York Daily News accounts

She described him as calm and confident, even chewing on his cigar while speaking. Lorenz said that in that moment, she lost the resolve to follow through with the CIA’s plan.

Sources: BBC, New York Daily News, NBC (summarised from search results)

Aftermath and Historical Significance
Lorenz did not carry out the poisoning attempt. She returned to the United States and later became involved in anti‑Castro exile groups. In the 1970s and 1980s, she testified before U.S. investigators about her experiences with intelligence operatives and her proximity to several Cold War events.

Her story remains one of the most widely cited examples of the unconventional and often dramatic nature of CIA operations targeting Castro during the Cold War.

Why This Story Matters
– It illustrates the intensity of U.S.–Cuba tensions during the early 1960s.
– It highlights the human dimension of espionage—where personal relationships intersected with geopolitical conflict.
– It remains one of the most unusual and widely reported episodes among the many documented plots against Castro.