During the Cold War, the strained relations between the United States and Cuba prompted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conceive various unconventional schemes with the aim of destabilizing the Castro regime. While many covert operations, such as Operation Mongoose, primarily targeted the assassination of Fidel Castro, some plans sought to instigate a full-scale war between the U.S. and Cuba, according to experts.
In 1998, the National Security Archive (NSA), a non-governmental organization that discloses information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, released declassified documents related to Operation Northwoods. This scheme, formulated in 1962 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, involved orchestrating acts of violence against U.S. and Cuban civilians, attributing these acts to the Cuban government. The NSA documents detailed plans for simulated terrorist attacks in U.S. cities, hijackings of planes, and the sinking of boats carrying Cuban émigrés to the U.S. The intention was to fabricate a justification for engaging in war with Cuba through these orchestrated events.
The Kennedy administration demonstrated prudence by recognizing the impracticality of Operation Northwoods and ultimately rejecting the plan, as reported by news sources. This decision underscored a refusal to engage in a deceptive strategy that involved causing harm to innocent civilians for political purposes and escalating tensions between the two nations. The revelation of Operation Northwoods serves as a reminder of the extreme measures that were contemplated during a period of heightened geopolitical tensions.