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The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations Against Cuba, 1959-1965

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Now at about 75 years old, Fidel Castro is in ailing health. Cuba's economy, as with most of the communist centrally planned economies, is at subsistence level. Average annual per capita income is about $1,500 per person. But still it survives. Two new books go a long ways towards explaining why.

Don Bohning's "The Castro Obsession", talks about the secret (and not so secret) operations conducted against Castro from 1959 to 1965. The appearance of a giant country like the United States arrayed against a small insignificant country like Cuba, and then failing created a groundswell of respect and support for Castro among people and countries that root for the underdog.

Humberto Fontova's "Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant", is really two books in one. The main theme talks about the comments from selected Hollywood types, media and political left wing liberals, praising Castro (shades of Hanoi Jane Fonda). The secondary theme is that Castro has instituted a bloody repressive regime that attempts to control all life in Cuba. While this is not a surprise, the details are shocking in that we have so much more information because of the communication with large numbers of Cubans now living in the US but retaining close links with the island.

These two books provide interesting background for the actions that will be playing out over the next few years.

Don Bohning, an experienced Latin American journalist and former Miami Herald Latin American Editor enjoyed a personal relationship with the key players, US & Cuban nationals, to accurately write an outstanding story of what has occured in actions against Cuba and why they failed. A must read for those interested in foreign affairs.
Manuel J. Chavez
Lt. Col. USAF (Ret)

Any in-depth political science library, particularly those with close coverage of Cuba, will want to be sure The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations Against Cuba 1959-1965 is in their collection. Journalist Don Bohning was Latin American editor for the Miami Herald, and here uses his reporter's inspection eye to examine the covert U.S. operations against Cuba at the height of the Cold War. The U.S. tried for economic and political destabilization, hit-and-run raids, and assassination plots during this time: Bohning's The Castro Obsession basically asks "was it worth it" and supports the conclusion "no".

Semi-Good read on the who,where and what and why,However the Author's apologetic tone for the Kennedy Administration in his conclusion,if Kennedy had only been elected a second term is utter Non-Sense.If Kennedy CHICKENED OUT On The Air Cover No Matter who was giving him bad information or Not,He would have gone into another disaster.As seen how he bucked to The Soviets on the Missiles for a Promise of a "Non-Invasion",He then goes onto say that Groups Such As Omega 7,CORU and Other Fiercely AntiCastro/AntiCommunist Cuban Exile Groups were spawned because of the ineffectiveness of Kennedy.(True on the kennedy part,however he is Unfair towards the treatment of such groups.)He makes Posada and Bosch out to be bad guys instead of Staunch Pro-American Militant Anti-Communists,
If he would have focused more on Kennedy's MANY MANY failures as well as Ike's instead of bashing anyone Opposed to Castro perhaps the book would have been better,I recommend Reading Grayston Lynch Betrayal At Bay Of Pigs and Mario Lazo's Dagger in The Heart.

Author Bohning paints a disturbing and ultimately depressing portrait of the Kennedy brothers, Bobby in particular, who used the full influence and power of the United States to eradicate the tyrant Castro.

The time, money and talent spent on this fool's errand is staggering and disheartening. Apologists state, and correctly I believe, that Cuba was just another battlefield in the Cold War and we had to man the ramparts wherever we found them. Opposing Castro is really not the point; the issue is the obsession with which the Kennedy's pursued the matter.

As the author clearly shows by extensive references and quotations it was a fixation way out of proportion to the threat. The paradoxical fact is that after all the sad and silly shenanigans directed at his removal Mr. Castro is still in power over forty years after the Kennedy brothers died.

Kennedy haters need not read this book. The author's scholarly text and extensive quotes speaks crisply to the point without resorting to Kennedy bashing. For readers familiar with how Jack and Bobby misbehaved once in office this book's revelations will be no surprise. For reader's raised on the Camelot myth be prepared to have your believe challenged.

The unanswered question is why did the Kennedy's focus so much personal time and energy attempting to remove Castro from office. Issues in Berlin, South East Asia and the Soviet Union were more critical to our security and deserving of the scrutiny lavished on Cuba.