To Kill a Dictator
Assassinations, even of the most treacherous dictator, can shake a nation's confidence, launch wars, or end them. Now, we go behind closed doors to meet the rebels, counter-revolutionaries, and intelligence operatives tasked with these takedowns.
Episodes
Cuba's Fidel Castro leads a revolution against a U.S.-backed dictator; the U.S., fearing the spread of communism, authorizes the CIA to remove Castro through various covert operations; Castro remains in power, defying U.S. efforts for decades.
Long before the declaration of war, the world wanted the Fuhrer dead; in Germany, fellow politicians lodge their dissent after the horrific Night of the Long Knives; among them, a plan starts to take shape.
Although Stalin was paranoid, there's little doubt that many wanted him dead. After so many failed assassination attempts, was the last plot against Stalin's life successful? As he succumbs to illness at 74, is his death less than natural?
Just as Korea gains its freedom after decades under Japanese occupation, Kim Il Sung's rise to power once again tips the scales dragging a country divided back into warfare. Kim's reputation as a fierce warrior grants him the role of a leader.
Over 30 years, Rafael Trujillo spearheads massacres, tortures, imprisons, and murders anyone who dares to voice dissent; in response, the Dominican Liberation Movement organizes military operations, to take out the fearsome regime.
Under Saddam Hussein's rule, fearsome purges, mass genocides, political executions, and invasions of neighboring powers become the norm; early murderous tendencies set the stage for years of ruthless resolve.
