Carl Elmer Jenkins worked as a CIA paramilitary trainer in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, and Cuba. At 95 years old, he shuffles about his home with a cane and moans amiably about the difficulties of old age. Five decades ago, he participated in a historic CIA attempt to murder Fidel Castro, which ultimately failed.
Jenkins also organized U.S. forces and Operations in Vietnam. Special Forces were sent to execute sabotage operations on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Later, he advised the Nicaragua on counter insurgency strategies. In 1971, he was appointed commander of a CIA facility in Laos, where he directed and trained more than 10,000 military and rebel soldiers. Richard Helms, the director of the CIA at the time, said that the program aimed to influence Cuban internal politics by fomenting political opposition.
Historians tend to accept Helms’ denials at face value; his wife claims he opposed Castro’s assassination plans. Chris Whipple is composing an acclaimed 2020 biography of CIA leaders.
