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Gangsterismo: The United States, Cuba, and the Mafia, 1933 to 1966
Gangsterismo is an extraordinary accomplishment, the most comprehensive history ever of the clash of epic forces over several decades in Cuba. It is a chronicle that touches upon deep and ongoing themes in the history of the Americas, and more specifically of the United States government, Cuba pre- and post-Castro, and the criminal networks known as the Mafia.
The result of 18 years' research at national archives and presidential libraries in Kansas, Maryland, Texas, and Massachusetts, here is the complete and as-yet-untold story of the making and unmaking of a gangster state in Cuba. In the early 1930s, mobster Meyer Lansky sowed the seeds of gangsterismo when he won Cuban strongman Fulgencio Batista's support for a mutually beneficial arrangement: along with Batista and senior Cuban army and police officers, the mobsters would profit from a gambling colony in Cuba. In return, Cuban authorities promised not to interfere with the operations of the "protected" casinos, hotels, and nightclubs. Over the next twenty-five years, a gangster state took root in Cuba as Batista, other corrupt Cuban politicians, and senior Cuban army and police officers got rich. All was going swimmingly until a handful of revolutionaries upended the neat arrangement: and the CIA, Cuban counterrevolutionaries, and the Mafia joined forces to attempt the overthrow of Castro.
Gangsterismo is unique in the literature on Cuba, and establishes for the first time the integral, extensive role of mobsters in the Cuban exile movement. The narrative unfolds against a broader historical backdrop of which it was a part: the confrontation between the United States and the Cuban revolution, which turned Cuba into one of the most perilous battlegrounds of the Cold War.
The result of 18 years' research at national archives and presidential libraries in Kansas, Maryland, Texas, and Massachusetts, here is the complete and as-yet-untold story of the making and unmaking of a gangster state in Cuba. In the early 1930s, mobster Meyer Lansky sowed the seeds of gangsterismo when he won Cuban strongman Fulgencio Batista's support for a mutually beneficial arrangement: along with Batista and senior Cuban army and police officers, the mobsters would profit from a gambling colony in Cuba. In return, Cuban authorities promised not to interfere with the operations of the "protected" casinos, hotels, and nightclubs. Over the next twenty-five years, a gangster state took root in Cuba as Batista, other corrupt Cuban politicians, and senior Cuban army and police officers got rich. All was going swimmingly until a handful of revolutionaries upended the neat arrangement: and the CIA, Cuban counterrevolutionaries, and the Mafia joined forces to attempt the overthrow of Castro.
Gangsterismo is unique in the literature on Cuba, and establishes for the first time the integral, extensive role of mobsters in the Cuban exile movement. The narrative unfolds against a broader historical backdrop of which it was a part: the confrontation between the United States and the Cuban revolution, which turned Cuba into one of the most perilous battlegrounds of the Cold War.
- GenresHistoryCrimeNonfiction
327 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 12, 2014
This is probably a must-read for anyone seeking in-depth information on U.S. relations with Cuba over the last 60 years. It is clear that an exhaustive amount of research into CIA archives went into this book. At times it reads like an alphabet soup of Anti-Castro, Exile commando groups (MRR, CRC and the list goes on).
While I always understood why the Mafia was upset about Castro, I could never really understand why the U.S. cared so much (as if Communism could actually have been exported to the United States at that time). Although hindsight is always 20/20, it appears that such a paranoid foreign policy actually led Castro, who initially did not see himself as a Communist, to seek help from the U.S.S.R. which in turn led to the October Missile Crisis.
In the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination, U.S. government monetary and training support for Cuban Commandos dwindled and was replaced by assistance from organized crime figures who had not given up hope of re-establishing their lucrative gaming empire in Havana. These raids on Cuba usually ended in disaster because the Castro regime was firmly established and the plans were increasingly amateurish.
While a few colorful characters are given more space(such as Edward Lansdale, a rather buffoonish type who nevertheless was described by Robert Kennedy as "America's answer to James Bond"), I found that the narrative was dry and lacked the kind of personal stories that would have really made it a ripping read.
For some reason it really made me want to go back and read Hunter S. Thompson's writings on The Alliance for Progress from the early 1960's (which was part of the U.S. attempt to prevent the spread of Communism to the rest of Latin America).
While I always understood why the Mafia was upset about Castro, I could never really understand why the U.S. cared so much (as if Communism could actually have been exported to the United States at that time). Although hindsight is always 20/20, it appears that such a paranoid foreign policy actually led Castro, who initially did not see himself as a Communist, to seek help from the U.S.S.R. which in turn led to the October Missile Crisis.
In the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination, U.S. government monetary and training support for Cuban Commandos dwindled and was replaced by assistance from organized crime figures who had not given up hope of re-establishing their lucrative gaming empire in Havana. These raids on Cuba usually ended in disaster because the Castro regime was firmly established and the plans were increasingly amateurish.
While a few colorful characters are given more space(such as Edward Lansdale, a rather buffoonish type who nevertheless was described by Robert Kennedy as "America's answer to James Bond"), I found that the narrative was dry and lacked the kind of personal stories that would have really made it a ripping read.
For some reason it really made me want to go back and read Hunter S. Thompson's writings on The Alliance for Progress from the early 1960's (which was part of the U.S. attempt to prevent the spread of Communism to the rest of Latin America).
June 6, 2013
The title and cover of this book are a bit misleading as the whole Mafia aspect of the narrative is relatively minimal. The book is a richly detailed history of the political relationships between Cuba, the USA and the USSR during the turbulent times of the Cuban Revolution and up through the aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assasination. Of course "the Mafia" plays a role, but that is not the focus of most of the the book. Having said that, the author added a lot of new (to me) information and depth to the story and even succeeded in adding a new dimension to the missile crisis. This is not a bad book, I just wanted more details on organized crime's influence on Cuba, the CIA and Fidel Castro.
September 12, 2018
What do gambling, drugs, the mafia, and the Cuban Missile Crisis have to do with each other? Well apparently a lot. Jack Colhoun has compiled a general history of the estranged island of Cuba from 1933 to 1966 in this really compelling book that gives some clarity to the events that led to the week where the United States almost went to nuclear war with the Soviets. The narrative that Colhoun strings together is both intriguing and interesting.
Colhoun starts his book with a brief history on how we got to where the book begins by tracing some of the highlights of the small island nation. During the Spanish-American War, Cuba was proclaimed a territory of the United States and gained formal independence from the US in 1902. But not without strings attached: the independence gave the US the now infamous Guantanamo Bay which became a naval station and the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. After periods of unease, Gerardo Machado was elected President of Cuba, and to give the Cuban economy a boost, he engaged in pumping thousands of dollars into nightclubs, hotels, and casinos for rich Americans visiting Havana in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the official beginning of the history as notated in the book, the idea of Gangsterismo became prominent. American tourists would fly to Havana to spend the weekend gambling at the Las Vegas of the 30s. During this period, Cuba experienced a revolt by Fulgencio Batista who set up a new government. After power struggles throughout the 1940s and 50s led to Batista’s demise, he actually came to power again in the late 50s. But another faction was gaining traction in Cuba.
Fidel Castro staged a coup that ran Batista out of office. Castro set up the Communist regime to the chagrin of the United States, who was in full Cold-War mode. The CIA and both Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy believed that something had to be done about Castro. Cue the Cuban Mafia. In the 30s, the Cuban Mafia had strong connections in Miami, Florida. Some of the more wealthy Cubans actually owned clubs in Miami and trafficked drugs and other paraphernalia (including prostitution) to there from Cuba. When Castro staged his coup, some Cubans fled the country while others stationed in Miami had strong feelings against the dictator. The CIA partnered with a group of outcasts to stage what became known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Due to Kennedy’s skittishness that the United States hand in Cuban affairs would arouse the suspicion of the Soviets (who were then fighting over East Germany with the Allied powers), the invasion was a massive failure.
The story becomes even more complicated when recognizing Kennedy’s Cold War ambitions. The Soviets became nuclear in Post-World War II. This is one of the hallmarks of the Cold War: both the US and the Soviets had incredible weapons pointed at each other, knowing that pulling the trigger could mean throwing humanity back to the stone age. Kennedy’s plan was to produce and stockpile nuclear weapons to prevent the Soviets from doing anything rash. The US also set up missile systems in Turkey, which, admittedly, made the Soviets a little nervous. In order to gain the upper hand, the Soviets partnered with the newly Communist regime in Cuba to send nuclear weapons on the island to prevent the US from doing anything they would regret. This caused a massive outrage in the United States. With Kennedy’s leadership however, cool heads prevailed.
I thought this was a really interesting look at the Cold War crisis. Not being alive during this time, I can recall telling my dad about this funny video (at least I think it was funny) I had seen, “Duck and Cover“. He, somewhat gravely, told me that the US almost went to war that week. It also demonstrates what an utter catastrophe the government can be sometimes. Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs Invasion pretty bad; one of the big problems was his fear of the invasion being traced back to the Americans. However, had they been successful in routing Castro, we might not have been in the situation that we were during the missile crisis. But then again, what do I know about being President?
I only wish there was more information in this book on the Cuban Mafia. The only time Gangsterismo really plays out in the book is in the first couple of chapters. While the information on the missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion is of interest, I wanted to know more about nightlife in Havana during the peak of Gangsterismo.
Colhoun starts his book with a brief history on how we got to where the book begins by tracing some of the highlights of the small island nation. During the Spanish-American War, Cuba was proclaimed a territory of the United States and gained formal independence from the US in 1902. But not without strings attached: the independence gave the US the now infamous Guantanamo Bay which became a naval station and the right to intervene in Cuban affairs. After periods of unease, Gerardo Machado was elected President of Cuba, and to give the Cuban economy a boost, he engaged in pumping thousands of dollars into nightclubs, hotels, and casinos for rich Americans visiting Havana in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the official beginning of the history as notated in the book, the idea of Gangsterismo became prominent. American tourists would fly to Havana to spend the weekend gambling at the Las Vegas of the 30s. During this period, Cuba experienced a revolt by Fulgencio Batista who set up a new government. After power struggles throughout the 1940s and 50s led to Batista’s demise, he actually came to power again in the late 50s. But another faction was gaining traction in Cuba.
Fidel Castro staged a coup that ran Batista out of office. Castro set up the Communist regime to the chagrin of the United States, who was in full Cold-War mode. The CIA and both Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy believed that something had to be done about Castro. Cue the Cuban Mafia. In the 30s, the Cuban Mafia had strong connections in Miami, Florida. Some of the more wealthy Cubans actually owned clubs in Miami and trafficked drugs and other paraphernalia (including prostitution) to there from Cuba. When Castro staged his coup, some Cubans fled the country while others stationed in Miami had strong feelings against the dictator. The CIA partnered with a group of outcasts to stage what became known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Due to Kennedy’s skittishness that the United States hand in Cuban affairs would arouse the suspicion of the Soviets (who were then fighting over East Germany with the Allied powers), the invasion was a massive failure.
The story becomes even more complicated when recognizing Kennedy’s Cold War ambitions. The Soviets became nuclear in Post-World War II. This is one of the hallmarks of the Cold War: both the US and the Soviets had incredible weapons pointed at each other, knowing that pulling the trigger could mean throwing humanity back to the stone age. Kennedy’s plan was to produce and stockpile nuclear weapons to prevent the Soviets from doing anything rash. The US also set up missile systems in Turkey, which, admittedly, made the Soviets a little nervous. In order to gain the upper hand, the Soviets partnered with the newly Communist regime in Cuba to send nuclear weapons on the island to prevent the US from doing anything they would regret. This caused a massive outrage in the United States. With Kennedy’s leadership however, cool heads prevailed.
I thought this was a really interesting look at the Cold War crisis. Not being alive during this time, I can recall telling my dad about this funny video (at least I think it was funny) I had seen, “Duck and Cover“. He, somewhat gravely, told me that the US almost went to war that week. It also demonstrates what an utter catastrophe the government can be sometimes. Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs Invasion pretty bad; one of the big problems was his fear of the invasion being traced back to the Americans. However, had they been successful in routing Castro, we might not have been in the situation that we were during the missile crisis. But then again, what do I know about being President?
I only wish there was more information in this book on the Cuban Mafia. The only time Gangsterismo really plays out in the book is in the first couple of chapters. While the information on the missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion is of interest, I wanted to know more about nightlife in Havana during the peak of Gangsterismo.
December 6, 2022
This is a well written, well researched book about the takeover of Cuba by Castro and aftermath of the takeover. The title however is not apt for the book. Only a quarter of the book, and in the first part dealt with the mob. The rest of the book was about US, Cuban, and Russian relations in the Cold War. I figured they would get back to the subject when the book dealt with the Kennedy assassination. While there was some mention of Jack Ruby, there was no mention of the fact that he was a Jewish Mobster and who his underworld connections were.
If you want to read about the political machinations in Washington, Havana, and Moscow, this is a great book. If you want a book about the mob in Cuba, I recommend looking elsewhere.
If you want to read about the political machinations in Washington, Havana, and Moscow, this is a great book. If you want a book about the mob in Cuba, I recommend looking elsewhere.
November 24, 2024
The book is focused on the intelligence services and their efforts to overthrow Castro. JFK is lionized. If that is the book your looking on your in luck. With very little of it set prior to the Cuban Revolution. Almost a total bait and switch as the mafia disappears from the story. Very agenda driven history that has little time for nuance.
July 27, 2025
The CIA is the greatest criminal organization in human history
May 1, 2016
Two stars because the author has clearly done his research, but it loses three because it's written densely enough to be difficult for academics to parse, and the cover and title are utterly misleading; if you're going to write a book that discusses governmental relations and barely mentions organized crime, maybe pick a different title and don't put Lansky on the cover, especially if the only time you talk about him is to claim that he wasn't actually in charge of the casinos and rackets he created and was subordinate to Italians on the basis of them being Italian.
April 20, 2016
This is a good book, but the cover and title give the impression that it is primarily about how Meyer Lansky and other gangsters worked in Cuba. That is covered, but the book goes into a lot of interesting detail about the heavy involvement of the CIA and individuals within the US Government. Another sad story of American intervention (can you spell Iraq?).
April 1, 2013
Gangsterismo is extensively researched and well documented. This is a vast subject that reveals the tip of the iceberg. The book raises the question of who really rules in not only the many Latin American countries subjugated to the USA, but also who rules in the USA.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews