How U.S. Made Unholy Alliance With the Mafia
By PAUL MESKIL 4/23/75
N.Y. Daily News
SECRETS OF THE CIA
When Fidel Castro threw the American gangsters out of Cuba, they vowed to return—never to be ridiculed.
The U.S. administration to get rid of Castro, formed an unholy alliance with the Mafia and its underworld associates.
American officials, in their zeal to destroy Castro, recruited gangsters, gamblers, and underworld assassins to carry out their anti-Castro operations.
The CIA and other government agencies used the Mafia to recruit and train Cuban exiles for sabotage and assassination missions against the Castro regime.
The gangsters and their Cuban exile recruits were given arms, explosives, and other equipment by the CIA and were trained in secret camps in Florida, Louisiana, and Guatemala.
The gangsters were given millions of dollars in cash and other rewards for their services.
The Mafia was also given the promise that they would be allowed to return to Cuba and resume their lucrative gambling and other rackets once Castro was overthrown.
The gangsters were also given the assurance that they would not be prosecuted for their crimes in the United States.
The CIA and other government agencies also used the Mafia to carry out other covert operations in the United States and abroad.
The gangsters were used to infiltrate and disrupt labor unions, civil rights organizations, and other groups that were considered to be subversive or a threat to national security.
The Mafia was also used to carry out assassinations and other violent acts against individuals and groups that were considered to be enemies of the United States.
The unholy alliance between the U.S. government and the Mafia was one of the most secret and controversial aspects of the Cold War.
The details of this alliance have been revealed in a series of articles by Paul Meskil in the New York Daily News.