In the Pirates Den: My Life as a Secret Agent [Hardcover]

Jorge Masetti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

In this riveting book, Masetti takes the reader inside the war room of the Cuban revolution. His life involved international revolutionary intrigue: smuggling diamonds and ivory; counterfeiting U.S. dollars; trafficking in narcotics. He served in Angola and other war zones in the 1980s. He was an adviser with groups such as the M-19 guerrillas in Columbia and the Sandinistas.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Masetti spins a tale of progressive disillusionment with communism. He followed in the footsteps of his father, a Communist guerrilla who was killed when the author was seven. Cuban-born Masetti traces his involvement, beginning as a teenager in Argentina (his mother's native land), followed by stints in Colombia, Angola, Nicaragua and other revolutionary hot spots of the 1970s and '80s. Though the story of growing disgust with a bankrupt ideology has been told with more passion and insight elsewhere, Masetti does hit an emotional crescendo in the book's final pages, when he tells of the execution of his father-in-law, which led to his final break with Castro's Cuba. The book's strength lies elsewhere, in its description of the world of Communist spying and intrigue that Masetti experienced firsthand. He brings the reader into his initial training in guerrilla warfare and his later revolutionary actions. Despite the occasional triumph (some of his former comrades were involved in the murder of Nicaragua's Somoza during the Sandinista takeover in 1979), Masetti and his revolutionaries bungle a lot of attempts. As the years pass, these activities become simply illegal rather than revolutionary (robbing banks, for instance), and Masetti's devotion to his cause wanes. In fact, as he shows, his ideals fell victim to authoritarian secrecy-for which he holds Castro responsible-and intrigue and internecine bickering.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Encounter Books (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893554422
• ISBN-13: 978-1893554429
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,310,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The criminal world of Cuba communist intelligent services, December 17, 2006

By 

QBA (Toronto, On, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Pirates Den: My Life as a Secret Agent (Paperback)

This is a window into the illegal world which the Cuban's communist secret service operates in, narrated by an Argentinian with ties to high levels of the secret apparatus of Castro's government inside and outside of the island.

This apparatus justifies, stimulates and supports criminals acts committed around the world to collect funds. These illegal acts are generally committed by and for the benefit of two groups. The first are committed by members of their own communist Cuban government to collect funds for government departments and projects, The second group is constituted by Latin Americans sympathizers of Cuban's communist government; they commit criminals acts that range from bank robberies to hostage taking to finance their armed fights.These criminals acts are supported economically and logistically by the communist government of Cuba in their pursuit to export and duplicate the Cuban model across Latin America.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual, revealing, and highly recommended reading, February 8, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Pirates Den: My Life as a Secret Agent (Hardcover)

In The Pirate's Den: My Life As A Secret Agent For Castro is the autobiography of Jorge Masetti, a man who worked as a secret agent for Fidel Castro for twenty years. Bringing the reader a uniquely personal and informative viewpoint from inside the war rooms of the Cuban revolution, In the Pirate's Den is filled with accounts of international intrigue, drug smuggling, counterfeiting U.S. dollars, and international missions for Cuban Intelligence that often extended into war zones. An often dramatic, sometimes horrifying, and always keenly insightful testimony, In The Pirate's Den is unusual, revealing, and highly recommended reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very interesting., August 23, 2005

By 

tito garriga (tampa,fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Pirates Den: My Life as a Secret Agent (Hardcover)

this book is very informative on how castro orders his underlings to embark on illegal activities,but lets them know if you get caught your on your own.a prime example is the execution of ochoa,de la guardia and the other two.i wont give it away,but if you know a little about the revolution this book will pretty much fill in the holes that surrounded that tragedy.good job jorge!