| Manuel Antonio de Varona | |
| Birth Date: | November 25, 1908 |
| Birth Place: | Cuba |
| Death Place: | Miami, Florida USA |
Manuel Antonio de Varona y Loredo (November 25, 1908 in Camagüey, Cuba – October 29, 1992 in Miami, Florida, United States) was a Cuban lawyer and politician.
Varona is 7th Prime Minister of Cuba in 1948–1950, and served as president of the Cuban Senate from 1950 to 1952.[1] In 1960, Varona went into exile after denouncing Castro's communist regime. He was a member of the exile coalition Cuban Revolutionary Council (1961–1964).
He had three children: Carlos de Varona Segura who participated in the April 17th Bay of Pigs Invasion, Emelina Ivette, and Ivonne de Varona Ruisanchez.
He wrote El drama de Cuba ante América (1960, Mexico City, Centro de Información Democrática de América).
He is buried at Flagler Memorial Park in Miami, Florida.
During Varona's exile in Miami, the CIA supported his operational planning for the Bay of Pigs Invasion. They provided pills laced with botulinum toxin to effect the assassination of Fidel Castro. The pills were never used, because Castro had stopped visiting the restaurant where an anti-Castro worker intended to use them.
A transcript declassified in 2021 of a 1975 Church Committee hearing detailed the covert CIA operation to assassinate Castro:
Mr. BreckinridgeJust before the first phase ended, Roselli, through Trafficante, was introduced to another Cuban exile leader in Miami by the name of Anthony Varona. Again, his name is a sensitive matter.
Varona was the leader of one of the groups that was beingsupported by the CIA as part of the preparation for the Bayof Pigs.
Varona was unhappy with his association, with the associationwith the CIA. He felt he had not been given enough money.Varona was approached by Roselli with Trafficante's introductionto take on this mission
Roselli's story was that he represented some private clientwho had interest in Cuba. The Roselli identity was apparent,as was Trafficante's.
Varona said he knew someone who was in a restaurant thatCastro frequented and then the pills were transported again.
Mr. Schwartz. Could you state for the record who made the pills?
Mr. Breckinridge. The pills were made in what was thenthe Technical Services Division of the CIA.
Mr. Schwartz. Had they ever made such pills before?
Mr. Breckinridge. Not that I know of.
Mr. Schwartz. Had they ever used Botulinum as a poison inany way before?
Mr, Breckinridge. On one previous occasion Botulinumhad been considered for use on cigars that someone had hopedto get to Castro, and eventually that never got off the ground.This was a scheme that was never approved and never went forward.I know of one instance in which it was considered.
Botulinum was made into pills and these pills were takenagain to Cuba. Castro stopped going to the restaurant wherethis man was. The Bay of Pigs occurred and the operationwas called off.[2]