Preview of Mafia Spies, a new docu-series on Paramount+
(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - It was a critical moment in our nation's history that sounds like the stuff of movies and fiction. It invoved spies, gangsters, mistresses, Frank Sinatra, JFK, and even James Bond.
Using recently declassified material, a new Paramount+ docu-series, Mafia Spies, unravels one of the most bizarre espionage plots in history. Imagine the CIA hiring the mob to assassinate Cuba's Fidel Castro.
It is a Cold War game of cat and mouse whose effects still resonates in the present day.
"The CIA was going to hire the mafia to kill Castro, which is either a brilliant or a ridiculous idea," said Stephen Kinzer, American author and journalist.
"This was a time in our history when the world came closest to nuclear Armageddon," said Peter Kornbluh, senior analyst at the National Security Archive.
"There is a lot of fear about what Castro is going to do," said David Corn, American journalist and author.
"The CIA did not want a communist beachhead 90 miles from Key West," said Tim Weiner, American reporter and author.
"This literally could be it," said Bill Boggs, American television host and journalist.
Based on the book "Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro" by Thomas Maier, Mafia Spies is a six-part docu-series that premieres Tuesday on Paramount+.
