"Mafia Spies" links Chicago Outfit to Castro assassination plot

A new Paramount+ docuseries highlights the role of the Chicago Outfit in a CIA-driven assassination scheme against Cuban president Fidel Castro in the 1960s.

Why it matters: Many of the details emerged only a few years ago when the government declassified relevant documents.

The big picture: Based on the book by Thomas Maier under the same name, "Mafia Spies" presents dozens of interviews with participants, scholars and historians to detail the Cuban Revolution and its ability to unite the feds and the mob against a common enemy.

Zoom in: CIA officials tapped Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana and his Los Angeles enforcer Johnny Roselli to do the job, playing on Mafia losses after Castro shut down their Cuban gambling operations.

What they're saying: "With its retro atmosphere, entertaining narrative, and even cameos from Sinatra and Desi Arnaz, we saw a chance to create something both fun and historically significant," director Tom Donahue tells Axios.

Biggest surprise: "The stark contrast between the CIA's incompetence and the FBI's competence during this period in history," he says, "because popular culture has almost always lionized the CIA as heroic and highly effective."

Donahue's aim: To "inspire viewers to reflect on the importance of protecting our democracy and holding those in power accountable."

Watch on Paramount+ starting Tuesday.