Vendetta! : Fidel Castro and the Kennedy Brothers

by William B. Breuer

• ISBN13: 9780471184560
• ISBN10: 047118456X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

1960. As the Cold War reaches its height, so does postwar prosperity, and the American people celebrate their optimism by electing as president the young, charismatic John F. Kennedy. Just 90 miles from the United States, the Cuban people are celebrating the rise of Fidel Castro, their own young and charismatic populist leader who overthrew Batista's oppressive regime. Around the world, a rising tide of Communism is absorbing one country after another. President Kennedy, vowing to keep Communism out of the Western Hemisphere, knows he must confront Castro. It will mean not only testing his own resolve, but maintaining a precarious balancing act. Kennedy cannot allow the United States to be seen as weak, yet he cannot be too aggressive and risk nuclear annihilation. How then to weaken Castro's grip on Cuba-without forcing a showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union?With the aid of his attorney general, his younger brother Robert, the new president, in effect, declares a secret war against Fidel Castro, enlisting the CIA and Cuban refugees. During the next few years, the Kennedys and Castro engage in the most dangerous and covert duel of the Cold War, a fierce vendetta that will take the world to the brink of nuclear confrontation.Now, in this powerful, eye-opening new book, William B. Breuer reveals the startling truth behind the Cuban crisis of the early 1960s. From the Bay of Pigs to Guant?!namo Bay and the October '62 missile crisis, Breuer exposes how John and Robert Kennedy worked together to expand the clandestine, sometimes illegal activities to eliminate Castro. Vendetta! is a riveting account of recent history, complete with spies, saboteurs, guerrillas, murder plots, and kidnappings, told in the hard-hitting, dramatic style that has won the author critical acclaim as a chronicler of military intrigue.Based on new firsthand interviews with many of the people who directed and participated in the Kennedys' secret war, Vendetta! includes candid recollections from a host of government officials who are talking about these events for the first time, among them, W. Raymond Wannall, former assistant director of the FBI, and Theodore Shackley, the CIA official who directed the covert actions from Miami. As this fascinating chapter of modern day intrigue unfolds, we are swept into the middle of the action, from tense conferences in the Oval Office to terrifying encounters at Guant?!namo Bay, where American-backed forces stood outnumbered and surrounded by Cuban troops. Vendetta! is William B. Breuer at his very best-real-life espionage, political fact and folly, thrilling adventure, and intrigue.Critical Acclaim for William B. BreuerSHADOW WARRIORS"Absorbing . . . with colorful yarns . . . as suitable for serious students of history as for fans of cloak-and-dagger mayhem, military style." -Publishers Weekly"An engrossing tale of unsung heroes and high-risk missions . . . penetrates the little-known espionage, propaganda, and guerrilla operations of the Korean War." -Kirkus ReviewsFEUDING ALLIES"A valuable resource . . . highly recommended." -Booklist

Author Biography

WILLIAM B. BREUER, one of today's most popular military historians, is the critically acclaimed author of twenty-six books, including Feuding Allies, Shadow Warriors: The Covert War in Korea, and Unexplained Mysteries of World War II (all published by Wiley). Ten of his books were main selections of the Military Book Club, including The Great Raid on Cabanatuan and MacArthur's Undercover War.

Table of Contents

1 Terrorist Plot: Blow Up New York	1	(8)
2 Machinations in Mexico	9	(6)
3 A Blueprint for Gaining the White House	15	(5)
4 A Hoax in the Mountains	20	(8)
5 Pulling Uncle Sam's Whiskers	28	(7)
6 "One Bad Apple for Another"	35	(8)
7 "Two Hundred Thousand Yankee Gringos Will Die!"	43	(5)
8 The U.S. Power Barons Disagree	48	(4)
9 A Safari to the United States	52	(7)
10 "The United States Should Go It Alone!"	59	(8)
11 "Bobby's As Hard As Nails!"	67	(4)
12 A Secret Scheme Is Born	71	(8)
13 Intrigue and Covert Actions	79	(6)
14 Exercises in "Health Alterations"	85	(6)
15 Spooks and a "Tweeping" Plot	91	(7)
16 "Beardless, Ignorant Kids"	98	(6)
17 An "Evil Nest of Yankee Spies"	104	(8)
18 Showdown on Guantanamo Bay	112	(8)
19 "The President Said 'No Deal'"	120	(15)
20 "A Catastrophe Is at Hand"	135	(5)
21 The Search for a Scapegoat	140	(8)
22 An "Assistant President" Emerges	148	(5)
23 Eleanor Roosevelt: "A Silly Old Lady"	153	(5)
24 Top Secret: Agents CG-5824S and NY-694S	158	(6)
25 The Dominican Republic Connection	164	(8)
26 A Green Light for Operation Mongoose	172	(8)
27 Tension Grips Washington	180	(8)
28 "Our Blood Ran Cold"	188	(8)
29 "If We Want to Meet in Hell"	196	(7)
30 Shake-up in the Secret War High Command	203	(5)
31 Shooting Up a Soviet Ship	208	(5)
32 "We Must Do Something about Castro"	213	(7)
33 "The President's Been Shot!"	220	(5)
34 A Naval Base under Siege	225	(8)
35 "We Won't Git!"	233	(8)
36 Recruits for the Guerrilla International	241	(6)
37 A Tragedy in Los Angeles	247	(6)
Epilogue	253	(6)
Notes and Sources	259	(12)
Index	271