6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Setting the record straight!, May 8, 2009
This review is from: Betrayal: Clinton, Castro & The Cuban Five (Paperback)
Finally, the real story on the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown: the integrated Cuban Government activities conducted to commit murder, and the ongoing influence operations relating to some of those involved. This book provides the most detail to date on the events of 24 February 1996. The details are upsetting, but provide much food for thought.
Thanks to the authors for providing excerpts from the transcripts of the Brothers to the Rescue and MiG pilots, as well as transcripts of the testimony by Major Jeffrey Houlihan, who was one of too few in the US military doing his job that day! The transcripts make the events both easier to understand, and appalling at the same time. (If you haven't seen it, the documentary
Shoot Down, cited by the authors, is worth seeing. You will hear the chilling recordings of the Cuban MiG pilots.)
The book also provides a disturbing look at the non-response by the US military on that fateful February day. The non-response is so comprehensive that you will wonder if the military was ordered NOT to respond. A communications glitch is a facile excuse that could cover up just such a command. Draw your own conclusion.
Thanks to the authors for pointing out that the purposefully misleading reporting provided to the FBI by Juan Pablo Roque (who was one of at least two who infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue at the behest of Cuban intelligence), has not been reassessed which continues to skew the thinking of the Intelligence Community, and does a disservice to the humanitarian record of Brothers to the Rescue.
Some of the people identified in this book were clearly misled by assessments written by convicted DIA spy, Ana Montes. It's unfortunate that some of the same people recently have offered their opinions on US policy toward Cuba (perhaps without considering how their opinions may have been shaped by Montes' reports and briefings). As with the reporting of Juan Pablo Roque, the legacy of her assessments lives, an unfortunate circumstance given the haste to make changes in Cuba policy. While the time for change may have come, this book makes it clear that Cuba's intentions are not always as benign as supporters claim. How much has the Cuban Government's view of the United States really changed since 1996, and where does that leave us?
The Obama administration should take time to read this well researched book so they aren't fooled into believing the propaganda from solidarity groups carrying out orchestrated efforts to free the five convicted Red Avispa members, a.k.a. "Cuban Five." As the authors note, the Cuban Government has already mentioned them in public statements to the new administration.
Overall, the book is a quick read, but comprehensive in its treatment of the subject. You will find it thought-provoking and worth your time. In fact, you may not be able to put it down!
Kudos to the authors for lending clarity to confusion at this critical time in US-Cuba relations.
Thanks to the volunteers of Brothers to the Rescue who risked their own lives to save the lives of numerous others over the years.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and Disturbing, April 15, 2009
This review is from: Betrayal: Clinton, Castro & The Cuban Five (Paperback)
It didn't take me long to read this book as I was captivated by the story, which actually isn't a story at all but a truth that had been smothered by bureaucratic lies and inconsistencies. The authors, Lawrence and Van Hare, are passionate about the humanitarian efforts that the Brothers to the Rescue supported and that they, the authors, were a part of. They do an incredible job of documenting the facts and noting assumptions, leaving the reader to form their own opinion of what truly happened to their friends and fellow pilots who were murdered by Castro. Hopefully this book will get the attention it deserves and the Obama Administration will take into account the gaps that were left behind by previous administrations and not befriend a murderer. This book will certainly remind Americans how fortunate and privileged we are but it will also make you aware that you can't take anything the government says at face value. Well written, almost like a movie, this book will keep your attention and will have you wondering "what's next?".
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
white knuckled, March 17, 2010
This review is from: Betrayal: Clinton, Castro & The Cuban Five (Paperback)
Without a doubt, Lawrence & Van Hare have succeeded in pulling that trigger which targets every hair on the back of ones neck to prickle at attention throughout the entirety of this white knuckling account of incompetence, murder and betrayal.
The multiple threads of deceit unraveled in this heart racing story, reach beyond ones imagination and begs all Americans to ask how such an atrocity could have occurred in our great country.
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