The CIA attempted to assassinate Castro 8 times including poison cigars, hiring 2 mobsters these mobsters were Sam Giancana, the boss of the Chicago mob, and Santos Trafficant, the head of the mob's Cuban operations. Both of them were members of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, they also tried dusting his shoes with thallium salts — which would have made Castro's iconic beard fall out. While the assassination attempts started under the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower and continued under John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, there were more – 184, to be precise – during Richard Nixon’s tenure than at any other time; many attempts were without the knowledge of the administrations but planned by Cuban exiles, often with CIA assistance.