The Kennedys and Cuba: The Declassified Documentary History [Hardcover]

Mark J. White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 1999 | ISBN-10: 156663265X | ISBN-13: 978-1566632652

In this intriguing collection of documents, drawn from the State Department, the Kennedy Library, private papers, and the Assassination Records Review Board, and including newly released materials, Mark White traces the attitudes and actions of the Kennedys in their fateful obsession with Castro and Cuba. Full of fascinating information. —Mary Carroll, Booklist

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kennedy inherited a diplomatic nightmare: Castro's revolution of 1959 that had established a communist government 90 miles from America's shores. Three years later, Russia's decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Cuba triggered the most dangerous episode of the cold war. How John and his brother Robert handled America's prolonged confrontation with Cuba--the Bay of Pigs fiasco, "Operation Mongoose" (a program designed to provoke an anti-Castro uprising), and the Cuban missile crisis--is of supreme diplomatic and historical importance. Mark White of the University of London creates a narrative of the period through official documents that include letters, memoranda, telegrams, radio and television speeches by JFK to the American people, CIA papers, and cabinet notes, much of the material recently released. Policies take shape and personalities emerge as the story unfolds. The contradictions between JFK's public announcements and his private discussions with intimates are particularly striking. At the time, JFK was praised for his handling of the missile crisis; later, doubts arose. In his introduction, White expresses disappointment with "the myopia of the Kennedy team, their almost total inability to consider how their anti-Castro policies would be interpreted by Havana and Moscow, and how those governments might respond." Nevertheless, he allows the record to speak for itself, inviting readers to make their own interpretations. The Kennedys and Cuba provides invaluable raw material for students of America's foreign policy during the cold war and is a fascinating, sometimes chilling, inside view of how closely the world came to nuclear war. --John Stevenson

From Booklist

Two events involving Cuba stand out in the brief Kennedy presidency: the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962. However, Cuba was a major issue in the 1960 election, and "getting tough" with Castro was a major theme of the president and his brother Bobby, as campaign manager and then attorney general. White, a University of London historian who did graduate work in the U.S., has written two books on the missile crisis, so he is well positioned to edit this documentary collection on U.S.-Cuba relations from the day before Kennedy's inauguration until a few days after his assassination. Most documents are drawn from the JFK library, the State Department's Foreign Relations publications, JFK's public papers, recently unearthed documents from Russian archives, and material released by the Assassination Records Review Board. Not an easy read, but full of fascinating information. In light of the current debate about future U.S.-Cuba relations, White's collection should prove valuable. Mary Carroll

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 379 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee (October 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156663265X
• ISBN-13: 978-1566632652
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,439,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Kennedy's and Cuba, May 24, 2010

By 

Gus Venegas (Cocoa, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kennedys and Cuba: The Declassified Documentary History (Paperback)

White creates a narrative of the development of U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba, during Kennedy's presidency, backed up by official documents that include memoranda, telegrams, speeches by JFK, and cabinet notes, much of the material released recently. Options are discussed, policies take form and personalities emerge during brainstorming sessions during JFK's presidency. How John and Robert Kennedy handled America's confrontations with Cuba-the Bay of Pigs fiasco, undercover operations, and the Cuban missile crisis- all events of historical importance. Though not easy to read, The Kennedys and Cuba is an interesting inside view of the inner workings of the White House. This book would be a good companion to a Kennedy biography (e.g. Dallek) or other books pertaining the subjects of the Cold War, the Cuban Revolution or Fidel Castro.