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143-548: The operation was run out of JMWAVE , a major secret United States covert operations and intelligence gathering station on the campus of the University of Miami . The operation was led by United States Air Force General Edward Lansdale on the military side and William King Harvey at the CIA and went into effect after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion . Operation Mongoose was a secret program against Cuba that aimed to remove

286-425: A nuclear medicine scan, during one type of nuclear cardiac stress test . Soluble thallium salts (many of which are nearly tasteless) are highly toxic and they were historically used in rat poisons and insecticides . Because of their nonselective toxicity, use of these compounds has been restricted or banned in many countries. Thallium poisoning usually results in hair loss. Because of its historic popularity as

429-708: A U.S. effort to overthrow Fidel Castro 's Communist government in Cuba . JMWAVE was also active in some form during the failed U.S.-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in April 1961. The JMWAVE operation grew out of an earlier fledgling CIA office in Coral Gables . The station's activities escalated, reaching their peak in late 1962 and early 1963 around the Cuban Missile Crisis . Under Theodore Shackley 's leadership from 1962 to 1965, JMWAVE grew to be

572-575: A US official raise something that resembled a faint moral objection to US government-sponsored terrorism." Actions were subsequently carried out against a petroleum refinery, a power plant, a sawmill, and a floating crane in a Cuban harbor to undermine the Cuban economy. The Cuban Project was originally designed to culminate in October 1962 with an "open revolt and overthrow of the Communist regime." This

715-463: A basic and soluble thallium source in organic and organometallic chemistry. Organothallium compounds tend to be thermally unstable, in concordance with the trend of decreasing thermal stability down group 13. The chemical reactivity of the Tl–C bond is also the lowest in the group, especially for ionic compounds of the type R 2 TlX. Thallium forms the stable [Tl(CH 3 ) 2 ] ion in aqueous solution; like

858-405: A chemical known to cause temporary disorientation. The CIA's plans to undermine Castro's public image included a plan to line his shoes with thallium salts which would cause his beard to fall out, while he was on a trip outside Cuba. He was expected to leave his shoes outside his hotel room to be polished, at which point the salts would be administered. The plan was abandoned because Castro canceled

1001-446: A chemical that produced reactions similar to those of lysergic acid (LSD)". Nothing came of this plot, because the chemical could not be relied on to produce the intended effects. Jake Esterline claimed that a box of cigars, which was treated with chemicals, was also considered in the plot to assassinate Castro. The scheme was that the chemical would produce "temporary personality disorientation", and having "Castro smoke one before making

1144-465: A combination of these objectives. Kennedy and the rest of SG-A hoped to dispose of the Castro regime and bring change to Cuba's political system. The Kennedy administration , including President Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy , CIA director John McCone , Richard Goodwin, and Brigadier General Lansdale met on November 21, 1961, to discuss plans for Operation Mongoose. Robert Kennedy stressed

1287-524: A company suffering severe financial losses in Cuba due to Castro's actions, offered Roselli $ 150,000 for the successful assassination of Castro. Roselli provided involved a co-conspirator, "Sam Gold", later to be identified as Chicago gangster Sam Giancana and "Joe, the courier", identified later as Santos Trafficante, the Cosa Nostra chieftain of Cuba. Edward Gunn recalled receiving a box of cigars that he

1430-706: A decisive U.S. capability for intervention. During Phase I the Punta del Este conference was a major U.S. political action to isolate Castro and neutralize his influence in the Hemisphere. President Kennedy's successful visit to Mexico was another major U.S. political action with an impact upon the operation but was not directly tied to the operation. Two political operations were performed in Phase I: counter Castro-Communist propaganda exploitation of May Day and to arouse strong Hemisphere reaction to Cuban military suppression of

1573-519: A group of Cubans, released a press statement at a conference in New York City on March 22, 1961. The press statement announced the unification of forces against Castro and outlined the platform of their mission. The objectives consisted of overthrowing the "Communist tyranny which enslaves the people of Cuba." The press statement listed the prerogatives for agrarian policy, economic policy, systems of law, education reform, military structure, etc. It

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1716-465: A group of high-ranking government officials, known as Special Group-Augmented (SG-A). Under Eisenhower, four major forms of action were to be taken to aid anti-communist opposition in Cuba at the time. These were to: (1) provide a powerful propaganda offensive against the regime, (2) perfect a covert intelligence network within Cuba, (3) develop paramilitary forces outside of Cuba and (4) get the necessary logistical support for covert military operations on

1859-671: A high index of refraction . Combined with sulfur or selenium and arsenic, thallium has been used in the production of high- density glasses that have low melting points in the range of 125 and 150 Celsius°. These glasses have room-temperature properties that are similar to ordinary glasses and are durable, insoluble in water and have unique refractive indices . Thallium(I) sulfide's electrical conductivity changes with exposure to infrared light , making this compound useful in photoresistors . Thallium selenide has been used in bolometers for infrared detection. Doping selenium semiconductors with thallium improves their performance, thus it

2002-544: A hold on Mongoose's actions as the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated (as pictures of Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on the north shore of Cuba were obtained by American intelligence via satellite reconnaissance), but "returned to its policy of sponsoring terrorism against Cuba as the confrontation with the Soviet Union lessened." However, Noam Chomsky has argued that "terrorist operations continued through

2145-597: A large part of the work, especially the isolation of the metallic thallium was done by Lamy, Crookes tried to secure his own priority on the work. Lamy was awarded a medal at the International Exhibition in London 1862: For the discovery of a new and abundant source of thallium and after heavy protest Crookes also received a medal: thallium, for the discovery of the new element. The controversy between both scientists continued through 1862 and 1863. Most of

2288-689: A lengthy question and answer dialogue where Attorney General Robert Kennedy attempted to establish that General Shoup failed to meet his responsibilities during the Invasion. Most of the content of his, General Shoup's, answers related to transporting men and supplies to the beaches during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The U.S. Defense Department 's Joint Chiefs of Staff saw the project's ultimate objective to be to provide adequate justification for U.S. military intervention in Cuba. They requested that Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara assign them responsibility for

2431-696: A letter to Khrushchev outlining his beliefs pertaining to what would happen in the act of aggression, and told him to rest assured that Cuba would resist and act with opposing forces of aggression. Operation Northwoods was a plan proposed in 1962, which was signed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and presented to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara for approval, that intended to use false flag operations to justify intervention in Cuba. Among courses of action considered were real and simulated attacks on US or foreign soil which would be blamed on

2574-507: A local government effort was focused on converting Building 25 to a military museum and memorial. Thallium Thallium is a chemical element ; it has symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a silvery-white post-transition metal that is not found free in nature. When isolated, thallium resembles tin , but discolors when exposed to air. Chemists William Crookes and Claude-Auguste Lamy discovered thallium independently in 1861, in residues of sulfuric acid production. Both used

2717-534: A major role in JMATE plans.". In August 1960 the CIA enlisted mobsters with "gambling syndicate contacts" to aid in the assassination of Castro.  Bissell placed the origin of this idea on J.C. King whom was Chief of Western Hemisphere Division. Richard Bissell had CIA contact Robert Maheu pull in Johnny Roselli, a member of the syndicate of Las Vegas. Maheu, disguised as a personal relations executive for

2860-456: A murder weapon, thallium has gained notoriety as "the poisoner's poison" and "inheritance powder" (alongside arsenic ). A thallium atom has 81 electrons, arranged in the electron configuration [Xe]4f 5d 6s 6p ; of these, the three outermost electrons in the sixth shell are valence electrons. Due to the inert pair effect , the 6s electron pair is relativistically stabilised and it is more difficult to get these involved in chemical bonding than it

3003-432: A potent depilatory , into Castro's shoes, causing "his beard, eyebrows, and pubic hair to fall out". The idea for this plan revolved around "destroying Castro's image as 'The Beard'". The only person with memory of this plot, only identified by the alias [03], concluded "that Castro did not make the intended trip, and the scheme fell through". A 2011 declassified CIA volume titled "Air Operations, March 1960–April 1961" from

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3146-629: A program of covert action, including sabotage, psychological warfare, intelligence collection, and the creation of an internal revolution against the communist government. The U.S. still lacked the capability of effectively getting information to the majority of the Cuban people. They had a trade embargo, denial of bunkering facilities, increased port security, and control procedure on transshipment, technical data, and customs inspection. The U.S. also used diplomatic means to frustrate Cuban trade negotiations in Israel, Jordan, Iran, Greece, and possibly Japan. From

3289-416: A recent declassification of thousands of pages from the CIA in 2011 (50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion), it is now known that the CIA task force in charge of the paramilitary assault knew the operation could not succeed without becoming an open invasion supported by the U.S. military. According to Peter Kornbluh, this was the most important revelation of the declassification of the official history of

3432-550: A secret avenue through which to trade with Cuban groups. On May 11, 1960, the Bender Group came to an agreement with a group called Frente Revolucionario Democratico (FRD) . Propaganda activities included using print and radio mediums to broadcast anti-Castro messages. These programs were launched all over Latin America. Large amounts of real estate were purchased by the agency for use in this operation. A base of operations

3575-420: A speech" would result in Castro making a "public spectacle of himself." Esterline later admitted that even though he could not exactly recall what the cigars were intended to do, he did not believe they were lethal. The lethality of the cigars is contradicted by Sidney Gottlieb who "remembers the scheme ... being concerned with killing". The CIA even tried to embarrass Castro by attempting to sneak thallium salts,

3718-565: A sugar mill. Rabe has argued that the "Kennedy administration... showed no interest in Castro's repeated request that the United States cease its campaign of sabotage and terrorism against Cuba. Kennedy did not pursue a dual-track policy toward Cuba... The United States would entertain only proposals of surrender." Rabe further documents how "Exile groups, such as Alpha 66 and the Second Front of Escambray, staged hit-and-run raids on

3861-632: A trace element in iron pyrite , and thallium is extracted as a by-product of roasting this mineral for the production of sulfuric acid . Thallium can also be obtained from the smelting of lead and zinc ores. Manganese nodules found on the ocean floor contain some thallium. In addition, several other thallium minerals, containing 16% to 60% thallium, occur in nature as complexes of sulfides or selenides that primarily contain antimony , arsenic , copper, lead, and silver . These minerals are rare, and have had no commercial importance as sources of thallium. The Allchar deposit in southern North Macedonia

4004-550: A transportable generator, which is similar to the technetium-99m generator . The generator contains lead-201 (half-life 9.33 hours), which decays by electron capture to thallium-201. The lead-201 can be produced in a cyclotron by the bombardment of thallium with protons or deuterons by the (p,3n) and (d,4n) reactions. A thallium stress test is a form of scintigraphy in which the amount of thallium in tissues correlates with tissue blood supply. Viable cardiac cells have normal Na /K ion-exchange pumps . The Tl cation binds

4147-437: Is a black solid which decomposes above 800 °C, forming the thallium(I) oxide and oxygen. The simplest possible thallium compound, thallane (TlH 3 ), is too unstable to exist in bulk, both due to the instability of the +3 oxidation state as well as poor overlap of the valence 6s and 6p orbitals of thallium with the 1s orbital of hydrogen. The trihalides are more stable, although they are chemically distinct from those of

4290-400: Is a constituent of the alloy in the anode plates of magnesium seawater batteries . Soluble thallium salts are added to gold plating baths to increase the speed of plating and to reduce grain size within the gold layer. A saturated solution of equal parts of thallium(I) formate (Tl(HCO 2 )) and thallium(I) malonate (Tl(C 3 H 3 O 4 )) in water is known as Clerici solution . It

4433-411: Is a mobile, odorless liquid which changes from yellowish to colorless upon reducing the concentration of the thallium salts. With a density of 4.25 g/cm at 20 °C, Clerici solution is one of the heaviest aqueous solutions known. It was used in the 20th century for measuring the density of minerals by the flotation method, but its use has discontinued due to the high toxicity and corrosiveness of

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4576-545: Is dangerous, and adequate ventilation is necessary when melting this metal. Thallium(I) compounds have a high aqueous solubility and are readily absorbed through the skin, and care should be taken to avoid this route of exposure, as cutaneous absorption can exceed the absorbed dose received by inhalation at the permissible exposure limit (PEL). Exposure by inhalation cannot safely exceed 0.1 mg/m in an eight-hour time-weighted average (40-hour work week). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, "Thallium

4719-420: Is either extracted from the dusts from the smelter flues or from residues such as slag that are collected at the end of the smelting process. The raw materials used for thallium production contain large amounts of other materials and therefore a purification is the first step. The thallium is leached either by the use of an alkali or sulfuric acid from the material. The thallium is precipitated several times from

4862-440: Is estimated to be 0.7 mg/kg, mostly in association with potassium -based minerals in clays , soils , and granites . The major source of thallium for practical purposes is the trace amount that is found in copper , lead , zinc , and other heavy-metal- sulfide ores . Thallium is found in the minerals crookesite TlCu 7 Se 4 , hutchinsonite TlPbAs 5 S 9 , and lorándite TlAsS 2 . Thallium also occurs as

5005-432: Is for the heavier elements. Thus, very few electrons are available for metallic bonding, similar to the neighboring elements mercury and lead . Thallium, then, like its congeners, is a soft, highly electrically conducting metal with a low melting point, of 304 °C. A number of standard electrode potentials, depending on the reaction under study, are reported for thallium, reflecting the greatly decreased stability of

5148-449: Is formed. Sulfuric and nitric acids dissolve thallium rapidly to make the sulfate and nitrate salts, while hydrochloric acid forms an insoluble thallium(I) chloride layer. Thallium has 41 isotopes which have atomic masses that range from 176 to 216. Tl and Tl are the only stable isotopes and make up nearly all of natural thallium. The five short-lived isotopes Tl through Tl inclusive occur in nature, as they are part of

5291-459: Is not classifiable as a carcinogen, and it is not suspected to be a carcinogen. It is unknown whether chronic or repeated exposure to thallium increases the risk of reproductive toxicity or developmental toxicity. Chronic high level exposure to thallium through inhalation has been reported to cause nervous system effects, such as numbness of fingers and toes." For a long time thallium compounds were readily available as rat poison. This fact and that it

5434-600: Is noted in an official history of the invasion of the Bay of Pigs that "immediately following the Eisenhower decision to promote the anti-Castro program, there was a considerable degree of cooperation between the CIA and other of the concerned agencies – the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and others." Representatives from

5577-591: Is ongoing to develop high-temperature superconducting materials for such applications as magnetic resonance imaging , storage of magnetic energy, magnetic propulsion , and electric power generation and transmission. The research in applications started after the discovery of the first thallium barium calcium copper oxide superconductor in 1988. Thallium cuprate superconductors have been discovered that have transition temperatures above 120 K. Some mercury-doped thallium-cuprate superconductors have transition temperatures above 130 K at ambient pressure, nearly as high as

5720-409: Is produced not from potassium ores, but as a byproduct from refining of heavy-metal sulfide ores. Approximately 65% of thallium production is used in the electronics industry and the remainder is used in the pharmaceutical industry and in glass manufacturing . It is also used in infrared detectors . The radioisotope thallium-201 (as the soluble chloride TlCl) is used in small amounts as an agent in

5863-519: Is the most popular isotope used for thallium nuclear cardiac stress tests . Thallium(III) compounds resemble the corresponding aluminium(III) compounds. They are moderately strong oxidizing agents and are usually unstable, as illustrated by the positive reduction potential for the Tl /Tl couple. Some mixed-valence compounds are also known, such as Tl 4 O 3 and TlCl 2 , which contain both thallium(I) and thallium(III). Thallium(III) oxide , Tl 2 O 3 ,

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6006-429: Is used in trace amounts in selenium rectifiers . Another application of thallium doping is the sodium iodide and cesium iodide crystals in gamma radiation detection devices. In these, the sodium iodide crystals are doped with a small amount of thallium to improve their efficiency as scintillation generators. Some of the electrodes in dissolved oxygen analyzers contain thallium. Research activity with thallium

6149-483: Is water-soluble and nearly tasteless led to frequent intoxication caused by accident or criminal intent. One of the main methods of removing thallium (both radioactive and stable) from humans is to use Prussian blue , a material which absorbs thallium. Up to 20 grams per day of Prussian blue is fed by mouth to the patient, and it passes through their digestive system and comes out in their stool. Hemodialysis and hemoperfusion are also used to remove thallium from

6292-565: The international exhibition , which opened on 1 May that year. Thallium tends to form the +3 and +1 oxidation states. The +3 state resembles that of the other elements in group 13 ( boron , aluminium , gallium , indium ). However, the +1 state, which is far more prominent in thallium than the elements above it, recalls the chemistry of alkali metals and thallium(I) ions are found geologically mostly in potassium-based ores and (when ingested) are handled in many ways like potassium ions (K ) by ion pumps in living cells. Commercially, thallium

6435-472: The "sensitivity of the operations being discussed", "no official records were kept regarding planning, authorizations, or the implementation of such plots". A key form of documentation used to construct the timeline of plots was oral testimony collected years after the plots were originally planned. The first efforts against Castro did not start with assassination. Instead, the CIA considered many plans to undermine Castro's image. In 1960 from March through August

6578-552: The +3 oxidation state: Thallium is the first element in group 13 where the reduction of the +3 oxidation state to the +1 oxidation state is spontaneous under standard conditions. Since bond energies decrease down the group, with thallium, the energy released in forming two additional bonds and attaining the +3 state is not always enough to outweigh the energy needed to involve the 6s-electrons. Accordingly, thallium(I) oxide and hydroxide are more basic and thallium(III) oxide and hydroxide are more acidic, showing that thallium conforms to

6721-555: The 18 April there was an air transport scheduled from the USAF and that was the best day for the Brigade B-26's mobilization to occur. During this strike there were no aircraft lost and there was a successful strike made on the Castro column moving from Playa Larga to Playa Giron. The Official History of this operation notes that there were several uncertainties as to the outcomes of various operations between April 17–19, 1961, including

6864-485: The CIA as an agency and their operation agents could take some shortcuts in training and preparations. (4) That the CIA would do anything they could to dispose of Castro and stop the spread of communism into the Western Hemisphere. The 4th point reads: "All efforts should be made to develop new and imaginative approaches to the possibility of getting rid of the Castro regime." On October 26, 1962, Castro wrote

7007-517: The CIA believed could be convinced to enlist in the operations against Castro. In response to the Soviet Union's increasing amount of weaponry as well as a growing influence of the Communist Party in Cuba, as early as June 1960, there were 500 Cuban exiles being trained as paramilitary members in order to execute the Bay of Pigs invasion, with some of those exiles being trained in Panama. Due to

7150-403: The CIA had failed to recruit suitable Cuban operatives that could infiltrate the Castro regime. The CIA and Lansdale estimated that they required 30 Cuban operatives. Lansdale criticized the CIA effort to ramp up their activities to meet Operation Mongoose's expedient timelines. Robert McCone of the CIA complained that Lansdale's timeline was too accelerated and that it would be difficult to achieve

7293-421: The CIA had plans aimed at undermining Castro and his appeal to the public by sabotaging his speeches. The schemes thought up were aimed at discrediting Castro by influencing his behavior and by changing his appearance. One plan discussed was to spray his broadcast studio with a chemical compound similar to LSD. It was scrapped because the chemical was unreliable. Another plot was to lace a box of Castro's cigars with

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7436-469: The CIA planned to sabotage Castro's speeches. The Inspector General report details "at least three, and perhaps four, schemes that were under consideration" during a time range between March and August 1960. It is speculated that all of the schemes considered at this time could have been in the planning process at the same time. The first plan in this time frame involved an attack on the radio station Castro used to "broadcast his speeches with an aerosol spray of

7579-535: The CIA's unit dedicated to Operation Mongoose. Agency activities were also based at the Caribbean Admission Center at Opa-Locka, Florida , and even at one point enlisted the aid of the Mafia (who were eager to regain their Cuban casino operations) to plot an assassination attempt against Castro; William Harvey was one of the CIA case officers who directly dealt with mafioso John Roselli . Roselli

7722-519: The CIA. On April 12, 1961, the CIA prepared a full report on the Cuban Operation that outlined its orientation and concept. The plot against Castro would be characterized by the appearance of a "growing and increasingly effective internal resistance, helped by the activities of defeated Cuban aircraft and by the infiltration of weapons and small groups of men." (Cuban Operation) The report further emphasized particular steps to be taken to achieve

7865-586: The Castro regime, to interrupt Cuban radio and television broadcasts, and to deploy commando sabotage units. However, by late August, the Soviet military build-up in Cuba disgruntled the Kennedy administration. The fear of open military retaliation against the United States and Berlin for the US covert operations in Cuba slowed down the operation. By October, as the Cuban Missile Crisis heated up, President Kennedy demanded

8008-416: The Castro regime." The propaganda offensive employed the use of radio broadcasts and leaflets to be passed around. This measure was solely aimed at propagating support for the provisional government. The CIA's budget estimation for this covert operation was approximately $ 4.4 million. The paper signed by Eisenhower was also the sole report issued by the government throughout the entire project. This highlights

8151-731: The Cuban Project, some of which were carried out. The plans varied in efficacy and intention, with propagandistic purposes for effective disruption of the Cuban government and economy. Plans included war crimes directed at civilians such as the use of U.S. Army Special Forces , destruction of Cuban sugar crops by chemical warfare , and mining of harbors . There was a meeting of the Special Group (Augmented) in Secretary of State David Rusk's conference room on August 10, 1962, at which Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara broached

8294-487: The Cuban government from power, and to force the Cuban government to introduce intrusive civil measures and divert precious resources to protect its citizens from the attacks. The removal of the Castro government was a prime focus of the Kennedy administration. Fidel Castro 's ascent to power had been watched by the CIA since 1948. As he rose to power, the CIA became increasingly concerned with his actions and political views. In

8437-514: The Cuban government. These would have involved attacking or reporting fake attacks on Cuban exiles , damaging U.S. bases and ships, "Cuban" aircraft attacking Central American countries such as Haiti or the Dominican Republic, having shipments of arms found on nearby beaches, faking a Cuban military plane destroying an American civilian aircraft, and the possible development of other false-flag terror campaign on U.S. soil. The operation

8580-399: The Cuban state as well as specific targets within. One example cited is an incident where CIA agents, seeking to assassinate Castro, provided a Cuban official, Rolando Cubela Secades , with a ballpoint pen rigged with a poisonous hypodermic needle. At this time, the CIA received authorization for 13 major operations in Cuba, including attacks on an electric power plant, an oil refinery , and

8723-713: The Defense Department and William King Harvey at the CIA. Lansdale was chosen due to his experience with counter-insurgency in the Philippines during the Hukbalahap Rebellion , as well as because of his experience supporting Vietnam 's Diem regime. Samuel Halpern, a CIA co-organizer, conveyed the breadth of involvement: "CIA and the US Army and military forces and Department of Commerce, and Immigration, Treasury, God knows who else – everybody

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8866-551: The Inspector General Lyman Kirkpatrick details the history of the operation, and states that the presidential order gave the agency authorization to create an organization of exiled Cubans to manage opposition programs, begin a "propaganda offensive" to draw support for the movement, create an intelligence gathering network inside Cuba, and to "develop a paramilitary force to be introduced into Cuba to organize, train and lead resistance groups against

9009-434: The K pumps and is transported into the cells. Exercise or dipyridamole induces widening ( vasodilation ) of arteries in the body. This produces coronary steal by areas where arteries are maximally dilated. Areas of infarct or ischemic tissue will remain "cold". Pre- and post-stress thallium may indicate areas that will benefit from myocardial revascularization . Redistribution indicates the existence of coronary steal and

9152-460: The Soviet Union. Given that Cuba was not a part of the Warsaw pact, and there had yet to be any significant evidence of a connection between Cuba and the Soviet Union, military intervention was believed to be able to take place without major consequences from the Soviet Union still. There were 32 tasks or plans (just as there were 33 living species of mongooses accepted at the time) considered under

9295-544: The State Department, the Defense Department, and the CIA were assigned larger roles in implementing the operation's activities, while representatives from the US Information Agency and the Department of Justice were also called on occasionally to assist with the operation. As the operation's leader, Brigadier General Lansdale received briefings and updates from these agencies and reported directly to

9438-468: The U.S. gambling syndicate that was active in Cuba. The objective clearly was the assassination of Castro although Edwards claims that there was a studied avoidance of the term in his conversation with Bissell. Bissell recalls that the idea originated with J.C. King, then Chief of WH Division, although King now recalls having had only limited knowledge of such a plan and at a much later date – about mid-1962. The Anti-Castro Revolutionary Council, consisting of

9581-520: The U.S. government begin this campaign, and it was authorized by the President. They believed that a centralized effort led by senior officials from the White House and other government agencies to remove Fidel Castro and overthrow the Cuban government was the best course of action. They also aimed to induce the Cuban government to introduce intrusive civil measures to try to prevent the attacks and

9724-406: The U.S. government's secrecy in carrying out the operation as well as its policy of plausible deniability . The program required the agency to work around the clock and collect a large amount of detail-specific information, as well as to cooperate with other agencies. To secure the necessary financial backing, the "Bender Group" was developed as an organization that would provide American businessmen

9867-505: The United States can live in peace". Some of the outlined goals of the operations included intelligence collection and the generation of a nucleus for a popular Cuban movement, along with exploiting the potential of the underworld in Cuban cities and enlisting the cooperation of the Church to bring the women of Cuba into actions that would undermine the Communist control system. The Departments of State, Defense, and Justice were responsible for

10010-622: The United States' fear of repercussions from the United Nations, the plan was kept at the highest level of secrecy, and thus " plausible deniability " was made a key focal point in American clandestine service policy. The government formally authorized the operation on March 17, 1960, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed off on a CIA paper titled "A Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime." A declassified report by

10153-435: The United States." It proceeds to state, "The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba and to develop an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere." Another significant consideration was that any U.S. military intervention in Cuba should not involve

10296-719: The University of Miami. Consequently, it was deactivated and replaced with a substantially smaller station at Miami Beach . As of 2004, the facilities on the Richmond Naval Air Station site were still used by several U.S. government agencies , including the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service , the United States Air Force , and the United States Army . Several original JMWAVE buildings are still standing. As of 2007,

10439-399: The anti-Castro movement would lead to an anti-US movement. On March 14 of 1960, Dulles presented a "General Covert Action Plan for Cuba" that would focus only on the Cuban problems. Guerrilla capacity in the anti-Castro groups both in and out of Cuba was discussed. Richard Bissell, deputy director for Plans, asked Sheffield Edwards, Director of Security, if Edwards could establish contact with

10582-566: The appearance of internal revolution. Miro Cardona would give public statements accentuating that the U.S. government was not involved and that any operations were performed by Cubans. Just days later on April 16, there were initially 11 targets that were scheduled to be attacked. The list of targets later was narrowed down to 4. These 4 included the San Antonio Air Base, the Campo Libertad Air Base, and finally

10725-484: The assassination plots against Fidel Castro, and, of course, the Cuban Missile Crisis. Less attention has been given to the state of US-Cuban relations in the aftermath of the missile crisis." Rabe writes that reports from the Church Committee reveal that from June 1963 onward, the Kennedy administration intensified its war against Cuba while the CIA integrated propaganda, economic denial, and sabotage to attack

10868-503: The blood serum. At later stages of the treatment, additional potassium is used to mobilize thallium from the tissues. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), artificially-made sources of thallium pollution include gaseous emission of cement factories , coal-burning power plants, and metal sewers. The main source of elevated thallium concentrations in water is

11011-512: The cessation of Operation Mongoose. Operation Mongoose formally ceased its activities at the end of 1962. In April 1967, the Inspector General issued a report on the various plots conceived to assassinate Fidel Castro. The report separates plots out into several time frames starting with "prior to August 1960" and ending with "Late 1962 until well into 1963". While confirmed, the assassination plots are an "imperfect history", and due to

11154-475: The composition of minerals and chemical products. Crookes and Lamy both started to use the new method. Crookes used it to make spectroscopic determinations for tellurium on selenium compounds deposited in the lead chamber of a sulfuric acid production plant near Tilkerode in the Harz mountains . He had obtained the samples for his research on selenium cyanide from August Hofmann years earlier. By 1862, Crookes

11297-558: The comprehensive "Official History of the Bay of Pigs Operation," made the indication that "it was clear from the outset that air operations would play a key role in the CIA program to oust the Cuban leader." By the summer of 1960, the JMATE, a unit under the direct command of Richard M. Bissell and the DPD, strove to acquire "aircraft for infiltration, propaganda, and supply drops to dissent groups within Cuba." By July 1960, it became clear that "tactical air operations with combat aircraft would play

11440-457: The concomitant civilian deaths, as well as forcing the diversion of resources to this end. Following a meeting in the White House on November 3, 1961, this initiative became known as Operation Mongoose and would be led by Air Force Brigadier General Edward Lansdale on the military side and William King Harvey at the CIA. Other agencies were brought in to assist with the planning and execution of Operation Mongoose. After Eisenhower's decision, it

11583-626: The discussion ended after Crookes was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1863. The dominant use of thallium was the use as poison for rodents. After several accidents the use as poison was banned in the United States by Presidential Executive Order 11643 in February 1972. In subsequent years several other countries also banned its use. Thallium concentration in the Earth's crust

11726-414: The end of the meeting, they determined four main objectives. (1) They needed more intelligence on Cuba to determine how to proceed. This would likely involve further probes by the CIA into Cuba. (2) They needed to increase the amount of sabotage their agents were involved in. The line "there should be considerably more sabotage" is underlined. (3) That regulations and restrictions needed to be realized so that

11869-486: The establishment of guerrilla bases throughout the country, and preparations for an October military intervention in Cuba. Many individual plans were devised by the CIA to assassinate Castro. However, none were successful. JMWAVE , a CIA covert operations and intelligence gathering station at the University of Miami in Miami Dade County, Florida , was established as the operations center for Task Force W,

12012-486: The fact that limited air strikes would prevent the Brigade air force from being effective because of the risk of counterattack by the Cuban air force. A White House staffer was quoted as saying, "...the plan was to destroy Castro's air force on the ground before the battle began and then provide air support, with an anti-Castro "Air Force" consisting of some two dozen surplus planes flown by Cuban exiles. That plan failed." On

12155-486: The first phase of the operation until the end of July 1962. There were four main objectives for Phase 1; a. was to gather hard intelligence on the target area, b. Undertake all other political, economic, and covert actions short of creating a revolt in Cuba or the need for U.S. armed intervention, c. Be consistent with U.S. overt policy and be in the position to pull away with a minimum loss of assets in U.S. prestige, d. Continue JCS planning and essential preliminary actions for

12298-458: The former Naval Air Station Richmond , an airship base in Miami , about 12 miles south of the main campus of the University of Miami on what is the university's present-day South Campus. The intelligence facility was also referred to as the CIA's "Miami Station" or "Wave Station." JMWAVE began as the operations center for Task Force W, the CIA 's unit dedicated to Operation Mongoose ,

12441-439: The general rule of elements being more electropositive in their lower oxidation states. Thallium is malleable and sectile enough to be cut with a knife at room temperature. It has a metallic luster that, when exposed to air, quickly tarnishes to a bluish-gray tinge, resembling lead. It may be preserved by immersion in oil. A heavy layer of oxide builds up on thallium if left in air. In the presence of water, thallium hydroxide

12584-539: The handling and use of the refugee potential. As Phase 1 drew to a close, Phase II projected plan was written up and it considered four possibilities. The first option was to cancel operational plans and treat Cuba as a Bloc nation and protect Hemisphere from it. The next possibility was to exert all possible diplomatic, economic, psychological, and other pressures to overthrow the Castro-Communist regime without overt employment of U.S. military. Another possibility

12727-416: The handling of the operation, believing that "national policy was too cautious" and suggested a US military effort to train more guerrillas, and large-scale amphibious landing military exercises were conducted off the coast of North Carolina in April, 1962. By July, the operation still showed little progress. Phase I of Operation Mongoose drew to a close. The Special Group provided plans on March 14, 1962, for

12870-476: The hunger demonstration at Cardenas in June. Another key interest for Operation Mongoose was the Cuban refugees as it was thought they wanted to overthrow the Communist regime in Havana and recapture their homeland. The refugees were given open U.S. assistance to remain in the country, yet were involved in covert actions in a limited way. Policy limitations of audibility and visibility were taken into consideration for

13013-404: The importance of immediate dynamic action to discredit the Castro regime in Cuba. He remained disappointed from the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion just a few months prior. By the end of November, President Kennedy had finalized details for Operation Mongoose. Lansdale remained in charge of the operation, and access to knowledge of Operation Mongoose remained strictly confidential and limited. As

13156-507: The island. At this stage, it was still not clear that these efforts would end up leading to the Bay of Pigs invasion. A document from the United States Department of State confirms that the project aimed to "help Cuba overthrow the Communist regime", including its leader Fidel Castro , and it aimed "for a revolt which can take place in Cuba by October 1962". U.S. policymakers also wanted to see "a new government with which

13299-511: The island... on ships transporting goods…purchased arms in the United States and launched...attacks from the Bahamas." Harvard Historian Jorge Domínguez states that Operation Mongoose's scope included sabotage actions against a railway bridge, petroleum storage facilities, a molasses storage container, a petroleum refinery, a power plant, a sawmill, and a floating crane. Domínguez states that "only once in [the] thousand pages of documentation did

13442-521: The isoelectronic Hg(CH 3 ) 2 and [Pb(CH 3 ) 2 ] , it is linear. Trimethylthallium and triethylthallium are, like the corresponding gallium and indium compounds, flammable liquids with low melting points. Like indium, thallium cyclopentadienyl compounds contain thallium(I), in contrast to gallium(III). Thallium ( Greek θαλλός , thallos , meaning "a green shoot or twig") was discovered by William Crookes and Claude Auguste Lamy , working independently, both using flame spectroscopy (Crookes

13585-455: The largest CIA station in the world outside of the organization's headquarters in Langley, Virginia , with 300 to 400 professional operatives and possibly including about 100 based in Cuba and an estimated 15,000 anti-Castro Cuban exiles on its payroll. The CIA was one of Miami 's largest employers during this period. Exiles were trained in commando tactics, espionage and seamanship and

13728-481: The late 1950s, the CIA began gathering more intelligence on Castro, suspecting that he was a communist. The organization could not initially discover hard evidence that Castro was a communist. However, the CIA remained concerned with how Castro's government took pro-communist stances. CIA intelligence concluded that Castro's close confidants, Ernesto Che Guevara and Raúl Castro Ruz , both had communist tendencies. In November 1959, General C. P. Cabell said that Castro

13871-424: The legal limit ( permissible exposure limit ) for thallium exposure in the workplace as 0.1 mg/m skin exposure over an eight-hour workday. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also set a recommended exposure limit (REL) of 0.1 mg/m skin exposure over an eight-hour workday. At levels of 15 mg/m , thallium is immediately dangerous to life and health . Contact with skin

14014-473: The lighter group 13 elements and are still the least stable in the whole group. For instance, thallium(III) fluoride , TlF 3 , has the β-BiF 3 structure rather than that of the lighter group 13 trifluorides, and does not form the TlF 4 complex anion in aqueous solution. The trichloride and tribromide disproportionate just above room temperature to give the monohalides, and thallium triiodide contains

14157-552: The linear triiodide anion ( I 3 ) and is actually a thallium(I) compound. Thallium(III) sesquichalcogenides do not exist. The thallium(I) halides are stable. In keeping with the large size of the Tl cation, the chloride and bromide have the caesium chloride structure, while the fluoride and iodide have distorted sodium chloride structures. Like the analogous silver compounds, TlCl, TlBr, and TlI are photosensitive and display poor solubility in water. The stability of thallium(I) compounds demonstrates its differences from

14300-572: The most viable option presented was bacterial liquids. The final product, however, was solid botulin pills that would dissolve in liquid. Roselli, along with associate "Sam Gold", used their connection to coerce Cuban official Juan Orta to perform the assassination through his gambling bills. Orta, after being provided several pills of "high lethal content", reportedly attempted the assassination multiple times but eventually pulled out after getting "cold feet". The Inspector General's report asserts that Orta had lost his access to Castro prior to him receiving

14443-480: The natural decay chains of heavier elements. Tl is the most stable radioisotope , with a half-life of 3.78 years. It is made by the neutron activation of stable thallium in a nuclear reactor . The most useful radioisotope, Tl (half-life 73 hours), decays by electron capture, emitting X-rays (~70–80 keV), and photons of 135 and 167 keV in 10% total abundance; therefore, it has good imaging characteristics without an excessive patient-radiation dose. It

14586-516: The naval bases located at Batabanó and Nueva Gerona . Additionally, the number of B-26 crafts to be used in the strike was reduced from 15 to 5, which ultimately limited the US air coverage. The CIA's Official History of the Bay of Pigs Operation notes that limited air cover left the Brigade air force open to attacks by Castro's forces. The document states that "There is no doubt that if there had been more JMATE aircraft and more aircrews, constant air cover would have been possible." Both Kennedys ignored

14729-476: The need to increase covert and semi-covert programs aimed at Castro. These programs included psychological warfare, political action, economic action, and para-military action. By the 18th of January, the DDCI had come up with various Cuban operations. Later it was proposed that a separate branch should be created to handle everything about the anti-Castro movement. The White House division organized Branch 4 (WH/4) as

14872-461: The new task force to run Cuban Operations. The task force included 40 personnel, with 18 at headquarters, 20 at the Havana station, and two at Santiago base. The state department was concerned that if Castro were overthrown, then the people to come after him would be worse than him – primarily Che Guevara and Raúl Castro. So they proposed a way of getting a better leader that they approved of in his place. The CIA began to worry that their involvement with

15015-408: The newly developed method of flame spectroscopy , in which thallium produces a notable green spectral line. Thallium, from Greek θαλλός , thallós , meaning "green shoot" or "twig", was named by Crookes. It was isolated by both Lamy and Crookes in 1862; Lamy by electrolysis and Crookes by precipitation and melting of the resultant powder. Crookes exhibited it as a powder precipitated by zinc at

15158-420: The number and identities of casualties of both pilots and Cuban civilians, as well as a question over the possible use of napalm by Acting Chief of the U.S. Air section Garfield Thorsrud's aircraft on April 17, 1961. The Official History notes that the use of napalm had not been officially approved until the next day, April 18, 1961. 10 days later TIDE dropped 5 B-26 bombs. Mongoose was led by Edward Lansdale at

15301-456: The operation's guidelines on March 16, 1962. Lansdale outlined the coordinated program of political, psychological, military, sabotage , and intelligence operations as well as assassination attempts on key political leaders. Each month since his presentation, a different method was in place to destabilize the communist regime. Some of these plans included the publication of anti-Castro political propaganda, armaments for militant opposition groups,

15444-459: The operation, led by the CIA, to covertly build support for a popular movement within Cuba. This was a major challenge. It was difficult to identify anti-Castro forces within Cuba and there lacked a groundswell of popular support that Cuban insurgents could tap into. Within the first few months, an internal review of Operation Mongoose cited the CIA's limited capabilities to gather hard intelligence and conduct covert operations in Cuba. By January 1962,

15587-457: The outset, Lansdale and fellow members of the SG-A identified internal support for an anti-Castro movement to be the most important aspect of the operation. American organization and support for anti-Castro forces in Cuba was seen as key, which expanded American involvement from what had mostly been economic and military assistance of rebel forces. Therefore, Lansdale hoped to organize an effort within

15730-540: The pills and thus could not complete the task. Roselli did find another officer, Dr. Anthony Verona, to perform the assassination. JMWAVE JMWAVE or JM/WAVE or JM WAVE was the codename for a major secret United States covert operations and intelligence gathering station operated by the Central Intelligence Agency from 1961 until 1968. It was headquartered in Building 25 at

15873-486: The presence of ischemic coronary artery disease . A mercury–thallium alloy, which forms a eutectic at 8.5% thallium, is reported to freeze at −60 °C, some 20 °C below the freezing point of mercury. This alloy is used in thermometers and low-temperature switches. In organic synthesis, thallium(III) salts, as thallium trinitrate or triacetate, are useful reagents for performing different transformations in aromatics, ketones and olefins, among others. Thallium

16016-575: The principal goal is to restore the 1940 Cuban constitution. The Cuban Opposition Front's purpose can be summarized as 1) to act as a beacon to attract other anti-Castro groups, 2) to serve as a scapegoat in case covert operations were discovered, and 3) to act as a potential replacement to Castro after his fall. For the Cuban Operation, the CIA made a list of potential guerilla fighters within the Cuban provinces. There were seven groups consisting each of anywhere between 180 and over 4,000 possible defectors. They consisted of political prisoners and guerillas that

16159-424: The production if a new application, such as a thallium-containing high-temperature superconductor , becomes practical for widespread use outside of the laboratory. The odorless and tasteless thallium sulfate was once widely used as rat poison and ant killer. Since 1972 this use has been prohibited in the United States due to safety concerns. Many other countries followed this example. Thallium salts were used in

16302-409: The project, but Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy retained effective control. On January 8, 1960, General Cabell , the deputy director of Central Intelligence (DDCI), held a joint briefing on Cuba for the Department of State and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During this meeting Colonel L. K. White had mentioned that Fidel Castro was going to need to be dealt with. At this time the DDCI also discussed

16445-416: The regime." He asked for a ramp-up of efforts from all agencies and departments to expedite the execution of the Cuban Project. He laid out a six-part plan targeting the overthrow of the Castro government in October 1962. In March 1962, a key intelligence report, written by the CIA, was produced for Lansdale. It showed that although roughly only a quarter of the Cuban population stood behind the Castro regime,

16588-456: The rest of the group: a stable oxide , hydroxide , and carbonate are known, as are many chalcogenides. The double salt Tl 4 (OH) 2 CO 3 has been shown to have hydroxyl-centred triangles of thallium, [Tl 3 (OH)] , as a recurring motif throughout its solid structure. The metalorganic compound thallium ethoxide (TlOEt, TlOC 2 H 5 ) is a heavy liquid (ρ 3.49 g·cm , m.p. −3 °C), often used as

16731-425: The rest of the population was both disaffected and passive. The report writes that the passive majority of Cubans had "resigned to acceptance of the present regime as the effect government in being." The conclusion was that an internal revolt within Cuba was unlikely. The lack of progress and promise of success through the first couple of months of the operation strained relationships within the SG-A. McCone criticized

16874-436: The solution to remove impurities. At the end it is converted to thallium sulfate and the thallium is extracted by electrolysis on platinum or stainless steel plates. The production of thallium decreased by about 33% in the period from 1995 to 2009 – from about 15 metric tonnes to about 10 tonnes. Since there are several small deposits or ores with relatively high thallium content, it would be possible to increase

17017-489: The solution. Thallium iodide is frequently used as an additive in metal-halide lamps , often together with one or two halides of other metals. It allows optimization of the lamp temperature and color rendering, and shifts the spectral output to the green region, which is useful for underwater lighting. Thallium and its compounds are extremely toxic, with numerous recorded cases of fatal thallium poisoning. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set

17160-738: The station had a major impact on the economy of South Florida, creating a local economic boom , particularly in the real estate , banking , and certain manufacturing sectors. It also operated a fleet of aircraft and boats that was the third-largest navy in the Caribbean at the time after the U.S. Navy and the Cuban Revolutionary Navy . JMWAVE's activities were so widespread that they became an open secret amongst local Florida government and law enforcement agencies. On June 26, 1964, Look magazine published an exposé by David Wise and Thomas B. Ross which revealed that Zenith

17303-454: The station supported numerous exile raids on Cuba. The main front company for JMWAVE was "Zenith Technical Enterprises, Inc." In addition, about 300 to 400 other front companies were created throughout South Florida with a large range of safe houses , cover businesses, and other properties. With an annual budget of approximately US$ 50 million (in 1960s dollars; US$ 50 million in 1962 dollars are worth US$ 403 million in 2017 dollars ( PPP ) ),

17446-521: The subject of the liquidation of Cuban leaders. The discussion resulted in a Project Mongoose action memorandum prepared by Landsdale. On October 4, 1962, a Special Group on Operation Mongoose met to discuss proceedings. The Attorney General, Mr. Johnson, and General Lansdale were there amongst others. While they discussed some self-interests in acquiring Cuban waters for mining rights, planning military contingency plans, and attacking Guantanamo , these beliefs and ideas were not shared by all participants. By

17589-431: The tasks demanded in such a short timeframe. In February, Lansdale offered a comprehensive review of all Operation Mongoose activities to date. His tone was urgent, stating that "time is running against us. The Cuban people feel helpless and are losing hope fast. They need symbols of inside resistance and of outside interest soon. They need something they can join with the hope of starting to work surely towards overthrowing

17732-786: The tensest moments of the missile crisis", remarking that "they were formally canceled on October 30, several days after the Kennedy and Khrushchev agreement, but went on nonetheless". Accordingly, "the Executive Committee of the National Security Council recommended various courses of action, "including ‘using selected Cuban exiles to sabotage key Cuban installations in such a manner that the action could plausibly be attributed to Cubans in Cuba’ as well as ‘sabotaging Cuban cargo and shipping, and [Soviet] Bloc cargo and shipping to Cuba." Operation Mongoose consisted of

17875-602: The treatment of ringworm , other skin infections and to reduce the night sweating of tuberculosis patients. This use has been limited due to their narrow therapeutic index , and the development of improved medicines for these conditions. Thallium(I) bromide and thallium(I) iodide crystals have been used as infrared optical materials, because they are harder than other common infrared optics, and because they have transmission at significantly longer wavelengths. The trade name KRS-5 refers to this material. Thallium(I) oxide has been used to manufacture glasses that have

18018-549: The trip. The United States' opposition to Castro was based on the U.S. government's position that coercion inside Cuba was severe and that the government was serving as a model for radical-nationalist movements elsewhere in the Americas . A month after the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the CIA proposed a program of sabotage and terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets in Cuba. In November 1961, Robert Kennedy and Richard Goodwin suggested to President Kennedy that

18161-449: The way in which the CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff sought a reason to invade the island of Cuba that would be acceptable to the American people. The document states, "such a plan would enable a logical build-up of incidents to be combined with other seemingly unrelated events to camouflage the ultimate objective and create the necessary impression of Cuban rashness and irresponsibility on a large scale, directed at other countries as well as

18304-411: The world-record-holding mercury cuprates. Before the widespread application of technetium-99m in nuclear medicine , the radioactive isotope thallium-201 , with a half-life of 73 hours, was the main substance for nuclear cardiography . The nuclide is still used for stress tests for risk stratification in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This isotope of thallium can be generated using

18447-406: Was a CIA front. University of Miami authorities denied knowledge of the CIA operation, though Shackley claimed privately that University President Henry King Stanford was fully aware of it, and JMWAVE changed its main front company name from Zenith to Melmar Corporation. By 1968, JMWAVE became increasingly obsolete, and concerns emerged that the CIA station would become a public embarrassment to

18590-523: Was a comprehensive plan. The press statement was implemented as another propaganda tool that the CIA felt could further their mission. There were prerequisites for those recruited and enlisted by the CIA: they must be pro-Western, anti-Communist, politically neutral and capable of gathering other Cuban support. Specific goals were identified for Cubans on-boarded to the Cuban Opposition Front,

18733-399: Was able to isolate small quantities of the new element and determine the properties of a few compounds. Claude-Auguste Lamy used a spectrometer that was similar to Crookes' to determine the composition of a selenium-containing substance which was deposited during the production of sulfuric acid from pyrite . He also noticed the new green line in the spectra and concluded that a new element

18876-414: Was at the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis, wherein the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. came alarmingly close to nuclear war over the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, verified by low flying aircraft on photographic missions and ground surveillance photography. The operation was suspended on October 30, 1962, but 3 of 10 six-man sabotage teams had already been deployed to Cuba. Dominguez writes that Kennedy put

19019-479: Was common throughout the Kennedy presidency, decision making would be centralized and housed within the secret Special Group (SG-A). At this time, Operation Mongoose was underway. In a testimony given during the Taylor Committee investigation of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Gen. Shoup admitted that then as well as now, no operation like the Bay of Pigs could have been covert in nature. This was admitted after

19162-495: Was established in Miami on May 25, by using a "New York career and development firm" and "a Department of Defense contract" as covers. A communications station was also established on June 15 by using an Army operation as a cover. The agency also obtained safe houses all over Miami for different "operational purposes." The CIA also acquired properties in different US cities and abroad for various reasons. From March through August 1960,

19305-480: Was first to publish his findings, on March 30, 1861). The name comes from thallium's bright green spectral emission lines derived from the Greek 'thallos', meaning a green twig. After the publication of the improved method of flame spectroscopy by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff and the discovery of caesium and rubidium in the years 1859 to 1860, flame spectroscopy became an approved method to determine

19448-460: Was in Mongoose. It was a government-wide operation run out of Bobby Kennedy's office with Ed Lansdale as the mastermind." During the planning of Operation Mongoose, a March 1962 CIA memorandum sought a brief but precise description of pretexts which the Joint Chiefs of Staff considered would provide justification for American military intervention in Cuba. The formerly classified memorandum depicts

19591-464: Was introduced to the CIA by former FBI Agent Robert Mahue. Mahue had known Roselli since the 1950s and was aware of his connection to the gambling syndicate. Under the alias "John Rawlson," Roselli was tasked with recruiting Cubans from Florida to help in the assassination of Castro. Historian Stephen Rabe writes that "scholars have understandably focused on...the Bay of Pigs invasion, the US campaign of terrorism and sabotage known as Operation Mongoose,

19734-413: Was not a communist, but he allowed free opportunity for the communist party in Cuba to grow and spread its message. By December, plans were already being tossed around between high-ranking U.S. foreign policy officials that called for overthrowing the Castro government. An official report from the CIA states that, by March 1960, the United States had already decided that Fidel Castro must be displaced. Due to

19877-561: Was present. Lamy had received this material from the sulfuric acid plant of his friend Frédéric Kuhlmann and this by-product was available in large quantities. Lamy started to isolate the new element from that source. The fact that Lamy was able to work ample quantities of thallium enabled him to determine the properties of several compounds and in addition he prepared a small ingot of metallic thallium which he prepared by remelting thallium he had obtained by electrolysis of thallium salts. As both scientists discovered thallium independently and

20020-403: Was rejected by Kennedy and never carried out. By 1962 it was shown that other nations were funding Castro's revolution. The Cuban Project played a significant role in the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The Project's six-phase schedule was presented by Edward Lansdale on February 20, 1962; it was overseen by Attorney General Robert Kennedy. President Kennedy was briefed on

20163-426: Was tasked with poisoning; however, the cigars were destroyed by Gunn in 1963. Several schemes, in regard to the best way to deliver the syndicate poison, that were considered during this time included "(1) something highly toxic ... to be administered with a pin ... (2) bacterial material in liquid form; (3) bacterial treatment of a cigarette or cigar; and (4) a handkerchief treated with bacteria". According to Bissell,

20306-408: Was the only area where thallium was actively mined. This deposit still contains an estimated 500 tonnes of thallium, and it is a source for several rare thallium minerals, for example lorándite. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that the annual worldwide production of thallium is 10 metric tonnes as a by-product from the smelting of copper, zinc, and lead ores. Thallium

20449-567: Was to help the Cubans overthrow the Castro-Communist regime with a step-by-step phase to ensure success including the use of military force if required. The last possibility was to use a provocation and overthrow the Castro-Communist regime by U.S. military force. In his July review, Lansdale recommended a more aggressive short-term plan of action. He believed that time was of the essence, especially given intensified Soviet military build-up in Cuba. New plans were drawn to recruit more Cubans to infiltrate

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