Above and Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America's Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission

by Casey Sherman, Michael J. Tougias

From the authors of the bestselling The Finest Hours, the riveting, deeply human story of President John F. Kennedy and two U-2 pilots, Rudy Anderson and Chuck Maultsby, who risked their lives to save America during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

During an infamous thirteen-day stretch of October 1962, America faced the prospect of imminent nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Two things saved humanity: the strategic wisdom of John F. Kennedy, and the U-2 aerial spy program.

Above and Beyond tells the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis through the eyes of three characters: Kennedy, and two U-2 pilots, Rudy Anderson and Charles Maultsby, who found themselves in the crosshairs of history, on the worst and most intense day of the crisis.

Anderson, a decorated combat pilot, embarked on a top-secret mission from McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, to fly his U-2 spy plane over Cuba to photograph evidence that five Soviet R-2 missile sites are up and running.

At the same time, thousands of miles away in Alaska, Maultsby climbed into his own U-2 spy plane and took off on what was believed to be a routine mission to the North Pole to gather radioactive air samples from a recent Russian nuclear test. But just after 12 PM, Maultsby suddenly became disoriented and steered his plane into Soviet airspace.

In the White House, Kennedy, strained from back pain, sleeplessness, and days impossible tension, was briefed about Maultsby and his missing U-2. If detected by the Soviets, its presence in Soviet air space could be considered an act of war. But as the president and his advisers wrestled with this information, more bad news came: another U-2 had gone missing--this time over Cuba.

Above and Beyond is a deeply researched, gripping account of the lives of these three men, war heroes all, who were brought together during a day that could have changed history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Military Fiction, American History, War, Espionage

360 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2018

About the author

Casey Sherman is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 13 books including The Finest Hours (now a major motion picture starring Casey Affleck & Chris Pine), Boston Strong (the basis for the film Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg), Animal & Hunting Whitey.
Sherman is also the author of 12, Search for the Strangler, Animal, Bad Blood, Black Irish, Black Dragon, Above & Beyond and The Ice Bucket Challenge.
Sherman is a contributing writer for TIME, Esquire, Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston Magazine and has appeared as a guest an analyst on more than 100 television news programs.
Sherman is a graduate of Barnstable High School (Cape Cod), Fryeburg Academy (Fryeburg, Me.) and Boston University.

Reviews

[Richard Rediker · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the scariest books I have ever read.

I knew we were close to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis but I didn't know how close we really were. It is really scary at how many of the generals and advisors wanted war. And especially Curtis Lemay, who even after Khrushchev said he would remove the missiles, told Kennedy he was lying and that we should bomb and invade Cuba immediately.

JFK, because he had been involved in war, stood up to his advisors and the generals and did everything he could to give peace a chance by putting himself in
Khrushchev's shoes.

What is really scary is if our current president ever faces a similar crisis.

[Alan Millais · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the audio book. I’m making that distinction up front because my issues with the book are audiobook narration specific.

The book was a good overview of the U-2, its role in the Cuban Missile Crisis and, more specifically, the pilots that flew those missions. It provided ample context regarding the buildup and actual execution of the missions and the impact the flights had on decisions made by the President and his cabinet. It was a bit fantastical at times, especially regarding the pilot’s lives and motivations. They were represented as impossibly heroic figures, when I’m sure they all viewed themselves as normal dudes, faults and all. However, the positives of the book were all overshadowed by the narration of the audiobook. Words mean things, pronunciation is important, and accuracy (especially in the context of a non-fiction history book) is vital. Common abbreviations should be used as such. Here are a few examples of the errors:

MIG: The abbreviation for Russian aircraft (in this context fighters) built by a specific aircraft company and is pronounced mig. Not em-I-gee. Everyone that’s ever seen Top Gun knows this. Maybe the first time you can explain it, but after that it’s cumbersome and sounds wrong.

Cadre: A group of people, in this case military officers, that are in charge or members of a group. The narrator pronounced it cad-er. That isn’t a word.

Ensign: The lowest officer rank in the Navy and Coast Guard, pronounced en-sin. The narrator pronounced it en-sign (as in stop sign). I suspect most English speakers are aware of this rank, but even if they aren’t, pronunciation matters.

KC-105: Theoretically an airplane. No such aircraft exists. They meant KC-135. Sounds minor, except to anyone that knows anything about these aircraft. This is a book about air force pilots, so I would expect to that be a large percentage of the readers. Also, accuracy matters. I have no reason to believe the printed book says KC-105 and not KC-135, especially given all the other narration problems.

Commandant: In this context, the head of the US Marine Corps. The narrator pronounced it command-ent, as in the word ‘command’ with ‘ent’ added on to the end. That’s just not correct.
Bow: The front of a boat. The narrator pronounced it bow as in bow-tie. English speakers know that’s not correct. It’s a different word.

Kerschev: Not a person. It’s Khrushchev. Pronunciation with names is important and not up for debate. However that person says it is correct.

This list is by no means inclusive, and the narrator wasn’t wrong all of the times he said these words, which is even more confusing. I don’t know if there’s a director or editor or just someone that knows the subject matter that listens to the book before public release, but obviously they skipped that step on this one. It was so distracting that I (obviously) took notes about errors instead of simply enjoying the book.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone lived during the Cuban Missile Crisis? While I knew some things about the incident I didn’t know the extent of how close the United States and Russia came to a nuclear war during that time until I read this book! While the book starts kind of slow in the beginning it does pick up and is riveting and will have readers’ full attention.
The book explores the incident largely through the stories of the angle of the U2 pilots. U2 is the top spy plane of the era, able to operate from 60,000 to 70,000 feet. The book tells us about the pilots, their childhood, their upbringing, career in the Air Force and also their marriage and family. In that sense it makes the story more personable.
Before going into the Cuban missile Crisis much of the early materials of the book concentrate about the development of the U2 spy plane through the Skunkwork Project and also the Top Secret nature of the U2 program. I love the stories of the difficulties and challenges in constructing the structure of the plane, the camera system and the intent of officers like Colonel Leghorn in having a good reconnaissance plane. I also like the book’s discussion about Clarence Johnson in leading the Skunkwork projects that developed the spy plane in Burbank, California especially how they had to make creative ways to fund the plane’s construction which at that time a national security secret. As a result of reading this book I learned that the spy plane’s first operation was in 1956 and also the special pressurized suit custom made for each pilots in order for them to survive flying the aircraft at that high of an altitude. Much of these test flights were done in Area 51, yes that area 51 which reported a lot of UFO sightings but at that time the Air Force cannot explain to the public what was going on. It was also emotional to read of the first death with the program. The book also talked about the first U2 shot down which occurred over Russia and how that tainted concerns for the program. Here readers will read about how they use to issue poison capsules to pilots flying deep reconnaissance missions.
The book goes back and forth from those involved with the U2 program to the story of John F. Kennedy including his World War Two naval officers’ days and how he led and rescued his own men. What a story in of itself.
As I mentioned the most dramatic part of the book is the Cuban missile crisis itself. Knowing all that background of how the Russians normally fire missiles and launch MIG fighters to try to intercept the U2 when we get to the part of the history in which U2 took missions over Cuba airspace readers get an understanding of just how risky these reconnaissance operations were for the pilots themselves and also for the United States politically. I learn from this book that the Soviet was actually pretty entrenched in Cuba at that time with over 40,000 soldiers in Cuba even before the United States discovered nuclear ballistic missile installations and launchers.
I love how well researched this book was. The book utilized not only a lot of archives and recordings from the White House during those tense days of the Crisis but also Soviet sources. No doubt JFK carried a heavy burden during those days and one wonder what that weight must have been. I was surprised that at that time Kennedy was reading a book called Guns of August about World War One which kept him going. I read that book myself and didn’t know how important that was for Kennedy for such an important time in American and world history! Kennedy had a lot of hawks that wanted the United States to attack Cuba and the Soviets as a response to the discovery of those nuclear missiles in Cuba. I didn’t know how many hawks there were in his administration at that time and its mind blowing that all the head of the five branches of the Armed Forces was pushing JFK for a strong military response involving massive airstrikes and hundreds of thousands of ground troops (eight division) storming Cuba called Operation Scabbard. Yet JFK would not bend nor be easily swayed. We now know in hindsight the Soviets had tactical nuclear capabilities that would have wiped out the Marines storming the beaches and airborne troops jumping in. That’s very sobering to think of that. In the end JFK chose the option of a Naval quarantine instead of an invasion. The blockade operation was also at an unprecedented scale involving ninety Naval ships, eight carriers and thousands of planes. The blockade line was five hundred miles away from Cuba. Its crazy to imagine that number in light of the number of our present Navy.
The book also tells us of stories of so many close calls of events that could have triggered an all-out nuclear war during that time. The first incident involved rogue Soviet military officers deciding on their own to shoot down a U2 plane. This was not approved by the Kremlin. The United States knew the Soviets shot down the plane. The pilot died. Yet that news slowly reached the President’s ears and the public at that time was not informed that it was shot down but press release at the time said a plane was accidently loss off Cuba. The second incident involved an accidental U2 plane that got lost flying off of Alaska collecting nuclear particles in the air from Soviet nuclear testing. Since there were northern lights in the sky at that part of the world that throw off the pilot from navigating by stars and constellation and without realizing it the U2 flew 300 hundred miles into Russian airspace. That confused Russia who scrambled many fighters into the air trying to intercept it. Russia wasn’t sure if it was a reconnaissance for future bombing missions or if it was the first wave of an attack. Since the Defcon level has been raised the US jets responding to the MIGS to protect the U2 was armed with nuclear missiles and back then the military doctrine left it at the discretion of the pilots whether to use them. Talk about scary! The third incident involved Soviet submarines near Cuba. The US told the Soviets that a way to signal Soviet submarines to come out to identify themselves without the United States taking over the submarines would involve dropping grenade size depth charges that exploded shallow in the water. For some reason the Soviets never conveyed that to the submarines operating in the Atlantic. So these submarines were hearing all these explosion of depth charges above them and they thought they were under attack and so they wouldn’t surface. So the American threw more depth charges which unnerved the crew of the submarines even more. Soon they were thinking that an all-out war was going on and they needed to get into the action. Soviet doctrines require an agreement of three key officers before the nuclear missiles in the submarine be used. Only one officer was adamant against using it and it was by “luck” that he happen to be on the roster of officers in that deployment and originally he wasn’t even supposed to be there. Talk about a really close call!
The book also revealed that it was the shooting down of the U2 spy plane that finally led the Soviet leader to remove the missiles since he realized things were getting really out of hand and an accidental war started by some unnerved was very probable. I felt a renewed respect for Khrushchev and Kennedy for diffusing the conflict. A wonderful book.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional history of the Cuban Missile Crisis! Here is my review in the Providence Journal:

http://www.providencejournal.com/ente...

And here is my interview with the authors in Military History Magazine:

http://www.historynet.com/casey-sherm...

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was 12 years old during the Cuban missile crisis but I remember the tension in the adults very clearly. This account of those days told in this book brought the adult me face to face with the the reality of how fragile things were.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tense, engaging, and mostly well-researched work.

Sherman and Tougias do a good job telling the stories of the missile crisis, the Kennedy White House, the pilots, and the U-2 missions over Cuba. If you’ve read up on the crisis, you probably won’t find much new information, though. The narrative is suspenseful and the writing flows well, though it doesn’t really have a clear introduction or conclusion. The book also covers the Eisenhower-era U-2 missions over the Soviet Union in more detail than I expected. It also spends a good amount of time on Gary Powers’ U-2 mission, and on Kennedy’s diplomacy abroad before the missile crisis.

Some may find the portraits of Kennedy and the military brass a bit one-dimensional at times, with Kennedy as the farsighted saint and the generals as the idiotic warmongers. In the narrative, the authors write that “we are all lucky that someone as levelheaded as John Fitzgerald Kennedy occupied the White House on October 27, 1962. A lesser person would surely have cracked under the strain; nuclear war may have followed.” In the “Authors’ Note” at the end of the book Tougias helpfully reminds us that “we all owe a debt of gratitude to President John F. Kennedy for the way he conducted himself during the crisis…A lesser man may have succumbed to the drumbeat of war.” The authors attribute Kennedy’s recovery from a coma to his “uncanny will.” They even claim that Kennedy was “the first sitting president in the modern age to have seen combat up close.” (He was?)

The portraits of the pilots may seem a bit thin or underdeveloped. The narrative also jumps around a bit. Also, the book describes missions by U-2s and Navy Crusaders, but not the other Air Force units, like the Voodoos.

There’s also a few errors here and there. Sherman and Tougias refer to Rudy Anderson’s service in the Korean War, even though he was deployed to Korea after the war ended. The authors also refer to him flying missions from South Korea, even though these U-2s were based in Japan. They also describe Anderson and Charles Maultsby training at Area 51, even though Anderson joined a U-2 outfit in Texas. The authors write that Maultsby joined the CIA’s U-2 unit, even though he remained in the Air Force. The authors also claim that Anderson’s family was ordered off base after his death as a way to avoid a loss in base morale. I don’t know where the authors got this story from. They even claim that this was standard practice in the military (huh?) Elsewhere they write of “intercontinental-range ballistic missiles” when they seem to mean ICBMs, and of “nuclear-tipped SAMs, or FROGS,” even though these are two different systems. There’s also a few typos, like “coincidently,” or strange phrases like “superhigh speeds.” They also refer to a “senior CIA agent,” when they mean officer.

The book’s first chapter also includes a dubious story about a U-2 pilot (Jerry McIlmoyle) being engaged by the same Cuban SAM site that shot down Anderson’s U-2. This pilot was apparently confronted by a general and had his report destroyed. You may have read of this story before in other accounts of the crisis, but I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed. The authors use this story to speculate that LeMay was hoping that a U-2 would be shot down so that he could finally have his sought-after approval for strikes on Cuba. And apparently LeMay and Thomas Power (and maybe Maxwell Taylor?) conspired to hush up the event so that Kennedy wouldn't get cold feet about further reconnaissance missions. The authors admit, however, that there is no hard evidence for these theories.

A human, readable, and well-written work.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author takes you through the turmoil that JFK was dealing with during the thirteen days we now call the Cuban missile crisis. You are shown by documents and recordings just how stressful everything was for the President. He was not only dealing with Cuba but he also had other worries going on as well. This was after the Bay of Pigs which did not go as planned. He was having to deal with Vietnam at times, and just when he thought he had time for himself something else would come up.
Here you get a look into the U-2 spy program that for myself I had only heard about and by the time I was twelve able to see one of the old spy planes up close. Just to read the story of these two pilots, Chuck Maultsby who would get disorientated and flies into Russian air space which really causes a problem for Kennedy which just added to the many that he would come to have.
You then have Rudy Anderson a decorated fighter pilot who joined the program and flew many missions over Cuba but it would be his last one that he would be remembered for, or now not so much. He was shot down and the U-2 parts of it were put on display.
What you really get to see is how Kennedy not only had to negotiate with Khrushchev but his own Generals and staff, you see just how close we really came to possibly be in another war. This is a fantastic book and one everyone should read. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book does an excellent job of conveying just how close we were during the Cuban Missile Crisis to a nuclear war! One misunderstanding or misinterpretation and either side may have launched weapons that would have changed the world as we know it (thinking specifically about the part at the end with the nuclear submarine).

It gives me a great appreciation for the U-2 pilots risking their lives flying over SAM sites without so much as a weapon aboard, often not even fully grasping what impact their images actually played in the actions of JFK and his administration.

I give credit to JFK for turning down the temperature in the room and maintaining his stance of a peaceful deescalation when many demanded air strikes and invasions.

I will say reading this book, I could immediately tell during which administration it was written with the constant notes of “I wonder how other presidents would have handled this” and I ding it for that. Also in the notes at the end and some of the other reviews it is noted how few people were interviewed for this story so I am sure there is some bias or inaccuracies, but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story.

[Tom Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mid October, 1962: A True telling of the thirteen days the world teetered on the edge of atomic armageddon.
Behind the scenes in Washington DC, and the U2 cockpits, each of the thirteen days plays out more tense than the previous day.
Incredible account of the bravery of U2 pilots flying secret missions, and the story of two superpower, world leaders that literally saved the world from atomic destruction. Fortunately for all of us, Premiere Khrushchev, and President Kennedy had tasted the bitterness of WWll. They were both aware of the dark powers they both reigned over. All the US generals wanted to attack Cuba, Kennedy kept his dove cool.
I was twelve years old during this near two week period, and never really knew how close to the edge we came. I do remember TV and news accounts being tense, but also, very quickly resolved. This back story is amazing history, the writers tell the story, and you get a glimpse of the intensity of the moments highly charged situations. Amazing. A must read.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful book about the Cuban missile crisis that includes accounts about U-2 pilots, various commanders, members of ExComm (the advisors closest to the US President) and President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev. It takes the reader to many states from Florida to Alaska, over Cuba and across part of the Soviet Union. Mostly it gives the reader insight into the thoughts and conversations of our American heroes and leaders when America and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war. Due to the ease that any miscommunication may have set off such a war, President Kennedy put a hotline in place between the White House and the Kremlin to mitigate the danger of misinterpretation. The authors' writing style made this a very readable gripping story of a recent and important historical period.

[Pedro]

I completed my read of the kindle sample of this book today. Am including this as "to read" since it gives new insight on the Cuban missile crisis. Via exploring the characters of two U-2 pilots (Rudy Anderson, shot down over Cuba, and Chuck Maultsby, off course over Russia) and President Kennedy, the story intertwines how these persons came to be connected in events that almost launched WWIII.
The narrative is well-written and personal to really give you a feel for the characters and events as they unfold.

[Richard Smither · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Amazing that mankind as we know it and how the world would have changed forever. One mistake and total Armageddon would have been the outcome.
I was 9 when this all went down and never knew what may have been going on in my parents heads.
This book read like a thrilling story of fiction. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a real life event. I would really recommend this book. Especially if your interested in a part of history that could have been real and the possibilities that haunt us to this day.

[victor harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasant surprise of a much-covered topic with the emphasis on the U-2 pilots who did the reconnaissance in Cuba. There were a number of mini-crises that could have escalated the confrontation over the Soviet missiles into an all out nuclear war. Fortunately JFK kept a cool head and deterred military men such as LeMay from taking more aggressive actions that certainly would have resulted in catastrophe. Very enjoyable, fast-paced, informative work.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book. Even though I knew the salient aspects of the story, this book brought new depth. The biggest of those is how "on the edge" both the U2 plane and pilots were. I also did not know that many of the conversations for this event inside the White House were taped! Seemingly, the authors intent was to convey the importance of Leadership and it reliance on the character of real people - not institutions. I believe they succeeded.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, detailed, and thoughtful. While it read like a novel, it was history from declassified documents and audio, plus interviews. I throughly enjoyed reading up on events, locations, and the technology involved as the story progressed from JFK’s military years through the Cuban Missile Crisis. Highly recommend it!

[Peter L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Above & Beyond: The Cuban Missile Crisis through the eyes of the U-2 Pilots

Above & Beyond focuses on the U-2 Pilots as well as through the eyes of the political figures involved in this tense retelling of the crisis. Much information, which will be new to many readers like myself, will be fascinated by this account.

[John Fulcoly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! Well written story of U2 development and the pilots experiences. Builds up to Cuban crisis and the U2 role and impacts. Terrific insights to Kennedy and Military as they debated and managed the crisis. Ever more thankful that nuclear war was averted after reading about the mishaps and near misses. Everyone should learn about and thank Vasili Arkhipov!

[Neil McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed, is 3:30 in the morning and has kept me from sleep for the necessity to finish.

Now if that isn't a endorsement for a novel I am not sure there is a more compelling desire, is sleep is something very dear to my heart, lol.

Thanks you for all that entilailed the writing of this book, very much enjoyed.

[Andy Hesselbrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. I knew very little going in and benefited greatly from this well-written book. I thought the Cuban missile crisis was the narrow avoidance of global Armageddon from one instance, but really it was from like 4 or 5 all happening simultaneously. Thank the world Kennedy and Khrushchev had the courage and the restraint to work it out.

[M2189 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome and it takes you from the brink and back of Armageddon! U-2 pilots were a special breed and so were their families. Thank God JFK was so calm , cool and composed or we may not be around today. There are a lot of new details in this book about the Cuban missile crisis or Caribbean Crisis as some in Russia call it and they are breathtaking.

[Timothy Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most riveting books I've read in a while. The author's short, succinct chapters make this book easy to follow. The author does a great job of humanizing the players and the incredible burden they carried during the crisis.

[Kati Linn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read of the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. These U2 pilots deserve to have the Medal of Honor. They stood unarmed during a portion of the Cold War that could have easily become WWIII. Their photographs allowed the conflict to end peacefully.

[George Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent work of investigative journalism on the early stand-off of our country and the USSR
Great insight into our military, decision making at the highest levels of our government and how we acted during the time of Russia’s build up of military assets on Cuba. A very good book.

[Elaine Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read...perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction books. Very well written.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I could not put this book down. A terrifying and compassionate look at how close we came to WW III and the U-2 pilots who were essential to the U.S. Exciting and heartbreaking!

[Geoff Walling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book with a really interesting topic that gets lost in the details.

[Meegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So crazy how close we came to nuclear annihilation. Very interesting read! Learned a lot.

[Tony Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. I kept wondering how a similar situation would play out these days with different people at the helm of major military forces.

[Eric Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some crazy stories in this book. These test pilots are just out of their minds.

[Marc Wiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

I knew we had come close to nuclear war but this book shows that we were much closer than I had known.