JFK Secretly Freed Criminals In Hopes They Would Kill Castro, Book Claims

Public DomainIn an explosive book, journalist Bill Deane claimed former president John F. Kennedy endorsed freeing rapists, drug dealers, and Mafia hitmen from prison so they could attempt to murder Communist leader Fidel Castro.

In Deane's "Smooth Criminal," he says JFK didn't explicitly order the program, but was aware of the operation that allowed an ex-con to pretend to be a waiter at Castro's favorite restaurant in Cuba in order to slip the Communist leader poison tablets, The Daily Mail reported Friday.

"Criminals were ideal operatives as they were ruthless and willing to risk their lives during missions rather than be sent back to prison," Deane told the Mail. "They also couldn't be officially connected with the CIA so it didn't matter if they were captured - there was no risk of America's shady policies being exposed."

Deane focuses on the story of Dave Riley, an ex-con he calls a "one-man American crime wave."

"Riley was a typical recruit. Highly intelligent, ambitious and with no morals. The CIA sent him on many missions abroad, including to Cuba to assassinate Castro," Deane told the Mail. "Between missions he was allowed to do what he liked - which generally consisted of embezzlement, fraud, gunrunning and drug dealing - without fear of being arrested or prosecuted."

Deane's book was released last year.

Head over to The Daily Mail to read Deane's full interview >