The Kennedys and Cuba: The Declassified Documentary History

by Mark J. White

Overview

The abortive U.S. invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis the following year were two of the most important moments in American foreign policy in the twentieth century. They were also early hallmarks of the presidency of John F. Kennedy in which his brother Robert played key roles. The involvement of the Kennedys with Fidel Castro’s Cuba began in JFK’s earliest days in the White House and extended until well after the missile crisis, almost until the assassination in Dallas. 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 dealings with Castro and Cuba. In his selection and commentary, Mr. White has constructed a virtual narrative which allows the reader to see, through the documents, how the story developed. It becomes clear that the Kennedys’ fervent desire was to oust Castro by any means possible short of all-out war. Yet in JFK’s last days, as Mr. White reveals, the United States signaled some movement towards rapprochement. The Kennedys and Cuba is an important record of one of America’s thorniest and most persistent foreign policy problems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566634021
Publisher:	Dee, Ivan R. Publisher
Publication date:	08/15/2001
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.04(d)

About the Author

Mark J. White teaches American history at Eastern Illinois University. He is the author of Missiles in Cuba and other studies in American diplomatic history.

Editorial Reviews

An excellent selection...an invaluable resource...highly recommended.

Virginia Quarterly Review

Valuable...full of fascinating information.

Booklist

Fascinating...absorbing.

The Financial Times

Fascinating...absorbing.

Financial Times

Fascinating...absorbing.

Financial Times

Valuable...full of fascinating information.

Booklist

White (American history, U. of London) assembles documents from the US State Department, the Kennedy Library, private papers, and the Assassination Records Review Board, including newly released materials. They relate to the missile crisis, Bay of Pigs, Operation Mongoose, and administrative policies during what turned out to be the final year of the Kennedy presidency. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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