An operation of terrorist attacks and covert operations in Cuba run by General Edward Lansdale and Bill Harvey and run out the JMWAVE facility. It was authorized by President Kennedy on November 30, 1961. Although the president signed the authorization it does not align with his stated goal of reaching out to normalize relations with Castro.

The purpose of the operation was to put a strain on the government's civil and defense operations. Fidel Castro first began to draw attention in 1949. As he became more influential concerns rose that he may have communist leanings. Associating with the likes of Che Guevara reinforced these concerns.

After having taken over the country in January of 1959 his actions did nothing the change the fears of a communist government in the Western Hemisphere. In late 1959 his government declared they were not communist, but plans were already under way to remove him from power. These plans were formed under extreme secrecy to keep them from the prying eyes of the United Nations and to maintain the possibility of plausible deniability.

Finial authorization came from President Eisenhower on March 17, 1960. Initially the program was designed to create a propaganda effort reaching the Cuban people along with an intelligence gathering network in Cuba. Lastly the idea was to create a paramilitary force of Cuban exiles to retake the country.

The Defense Department's Joint Chiefs of Staff saw Operation Mongoose as opportunity to gain additional justification for a military operation against Cuba. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara was involved, but ultimately the the Attorney General Robert Kennedy was in charge. They called on members of organized crime who had their casinos shut down for additional help.

634 Ways to Kill Fidel
by Fabian Escalante

Fabián Escalante, the founder of the Cuban intelligence services, and head of the Cuban State Security Department, provides a clear-eyed first-person account of his experiences defending Fidel Castro from the extraordinary attempts to take his life. From lethal poisons to plastic explosives to bazookas, Escalante introduces and describes an array of assassination plots and historical figures and depicts the ensuing cat-and-mouse game in the midst of the Cold War.

634 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro is a well-researched and documented series of vignettes put together by multiple investigations in Cuba and the experiences of the author, who participated in several of them; dozens of interviews with participants; extensive documentary evidence; and the collaboration of officials, and undercover agents who dismantled these plots. Filled with harrowing stories of deceitful FBI tactics such as moles who infiltrated the revolutionary Cuban government and gained a reputation with them with the ultimate goal of bombing their military bases. As well as undercover attempts to give Fidel poison laced cigars, Escalante takes the reader from DC to New York, Miami to Havana and uncovers the intricate conspiracy to silence dissent and kill Fidel Castro.
634 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro is filled to the brim with historical details on the CIA, Cuba, the communist movement, US government officials, and Fidel himself. Escalante’s first-hand account provides evidence of the lengths to which the CIA went through to assassinate Fidel Castro and the determined efforts to protect him and what he stood for.

A case study of Operation Northwoods and Operation Mongooses and its ethical implications
by Jonathan White

This case study is an in depth analysis of two classified operations that took place or almost took place during the Cold War which posed very difficult ethical challenges for the United States. Even in the darkest parts of American History we can, as professionals, extract lessons learned to apply in future conflicts.