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Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro
From the Bestselling Author and Television Producer of MASTERS OF SEX, a True Story of Espionage and Mobsters, Based on the Never-Before-Released JFK Files, and Optioned by Warner Bros.
Mafia Spies is the definitive account of America’s most remarkable espionage plots ever—with CIA agents, mob hitmen, “kompromat” sex, presidential indiscretion, and James Bond-like killing devices together in a top-secret mystery full of surprise twists and deadly intrigue. In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves amidst Congressional hearings and a national debate about the JFK assassination.
Mafia Spies revolves around the outlaw friendship of these two mob buddies and their fascinating world of CIA spies, fellow Mafioso in Chicago, Cuban exile commandos in Miami, beautiful Hollywood women, famous entertainers like Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack in Las Vegas, Castro’s own spies in Havana and his double agents hidden in Florida, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI snooping, and the Kennedy administration’s “Get Castro” obsession in Washington. Thomas Maier is among the first to take full advantage of the National Archives’ 2017–18 release of the long-suppressed JFK files, many of which deal with the CIA’s top secret anti-Castro operation in Florida and Cuba.
With several new investigative findings, Mafia Spies is a spy exposé, murder mystery, and shocking true story that recounts America’s first foray into the assassination business, a tale with profound impact for today’s Trump era. Who killed Johnny and Sam—and why wasn’t Castro assassinated despite the CIA’s many clandestine efforts?
Mafia Spies is the definitive account of America’s most remarkable espionage plots ever—with CIA agents, mob hitmen, “kompromat” sex, presidential indiscretion, and James Bond-like killing devices together in a top-secret mystery full of surprise twists and deadly intrigue. In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves amidst Congressional hearings and a national debate about the JFK assassination.
Mafia Spies revolves around the outlaw friendship of these two mob buddies and their fascinating world of CIA spies, fellow Mafioso in Chicago, Cuban exile commandos in Miami, beautiful Hollywood women, famous entertainers like Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack in Las Vegas, Castro’s own spies in Havana and his double agents hidden in Florida, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI snooping, and the Kennedy administration’s “Get Castro” obsession in Washington. Thomas Maier is among the first to take full advantage of the National Archives’ 2017–18 release of the long-suppressed JFK files, many of which deal with the CIA’s top secret anti-Castro operation in Florida and Cuba.
With several new investigative findings, Mafia Spies is a spy exposé, murder mystery, and shocking true story that recounts America’s first foray into the assassination business, a tale with profound impact for today’s Trump era. Who killed Johnny and Sam—and why wasn’t Castro assassinated despite the CIA’s many clandestine efforts?
416 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2019
240 people are currently reading
675 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Maier
27 books52 followersThomas Maier is the author of "MAFIA SPIES", the non-fiction spy thriller/murder mystery of how the CIA recruited two American mobsters to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro during the Cold War, with themes very timely to today's Trump era. In a starred review, Booklist called MAFIA SPIES "enormously fun...succeeds brilliantly." Maier's previous 2014 book "WHEN LIONS ROAR: The Churchills and the Kennedys," published by Random House's Crown imprint. He is also the author and a producer of "MASTERS OF SEX", the Showtime series based on his book of the same name, which tells the story of researchers Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson. His other books include: "The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings, which was adapted for Warner Home Video DVD, and the critically acclaimed Dr. Spock: An American Life, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1999. His 1994 "Newhouse: All The Glitter, Power and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire And the Secretive Man Behind It", is currently being developed by Sony Pictures Television. Maier is a special writer at Newsday and won numerous national awards. He lives in Long Island, New York.
www.thomasmaierbooks.com
www.thomasmaierbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 26, 2019
"When everyone is dead, the Great Game is finished. Not before."
--Rudyard Kipling--
Mafia Spies is both shocking and thrilling. Amazingly researched and told in an exciting narrative fashion which is far more enjoyable than the typical regurgitation of history. These are people and events most of us have heard about through suspicious conspiracy books. However, this book lays out the real story (based on information which has become available with the passage of time), fills in the gaps and connects the dots, so that we have a better understanding of the secretive world of the early 1960s.
This is a story of some of the most famous, infamous and notorious characters in our nations history. There are Mafia kingpins, leaders of the secretive CIA, J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI, the Kennedy clan, Fidel Castro, Frank Sinatra, and the women who kept these powerful men company, such as Judy Campbell and Marilyn Monroe. But more particularly it is a story of Johnny "Handsome" Roselli and Sam Giancana, and their fateful involvement with the CIA in trying to kill Castro.
Once upon a time, after the colossal failure at Cuba's Bay of Pigs, CIA Director Allen Dulles formed a strategy to use Cuban exiles living in Florida to take down the dictator who ran them out of their country. But Dulles didn't want to get his CIA's hands dirty. Instead he'd employ gangsters, who also hated Castro because they lost their lucrative casinos when Fidel closed them down, to work with the exiles to assassinate the Cuban troublemaker. Enter Giancana and Roselli, key players in "The Outfit", a Chicago Mafia which at the time rivaled the economic profits of General Motors and US Steel. This was an opportunity for these two wise guys to earn the favor of the US government - ala, a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
But there's a fly in the ointment. Their longtime Florida-based mob associate, Santo Trafficanto, agrees to work with with them to train the Cuban exiles, but what the Chicago boys don't know is that Santo has a handshake deal with Fidel to pass along secrets, in return for which he'll be allowed to traffic his drugs, unmolested, between the narrow waterway separating the two countries. He's a double agent.
There's also the connection to the entertainment crowd in Hollywood and Vegas. This is Roselli's turf. A down on his luck crooner once asks Roselli for his help. He wants to be in the film, From Here to Eternity. Johnny calls the producer and says Hey Harry, I need a favor - hire Frank Sinatra for the movie, or I'll kill you. No need to leave a horses head, because Frank is cast for the role which re-invigorates his career. Through Peter Lawford (Rat Pack buddy) Frank meets JFK. Through Roselli, Frank meets Judy Campbell. JFK is introduced to Judy. Hoover, the wiretapper, finds out and calls little brother, RFK. JFK stops talking to both Campbell and Sinatra, who throws a tantrum.
And of course, what goes up must come down - often hard. Mobsters, once the highest flyers of them all, get brutally murdered to end their career. Presidents and their brothers get assassinated. Ironically, the Communist dictator who was once everyone's target, dies peacefully at age 90 in his sleep.
For those who've had a taste of JFK drama but wish to know more, or even the younger crowd who don't know the cast of characters from the 60s but believe that the world they now live in is filled with nefarious politicians and corporate fat-cats, or just about anyone who likes to learn from history, this is a book I highly recommend.
Thanks to Net Galley and Skyhorse Publishing for the opportunity to read Mafia Spies and give my unbiased opinion.
--Rudyard Kipling--
Mafia Spies is both shocking and thrilling. Amazingly researched and told in an exciting narrative fashion which is far more enjoyable than the typical regurgitation of history. These are people and events most of us have heard about through suspicious conspiracy books. However, this book lays out the real story (based on information which has become available with the passage of time), fills in the gaps and connects the dots, so that we have a better understanding of the secretive world of the early 1960s.
This is a story of some of the most famous, infamous and notorious characters in our nations history. There are Mafia kingpins, leaders of the secretive CIA, J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI, the Kennedy clan, Fidel Castro, Frank Sinatra, and the women who kept these powerful men company, such as Judy Campbell and Marilyn Monroe. But more particularly it is a story of Johnny "Handsome" Roselli and Sam Giancana, and their fateful involvement with the CIA in trying to kill Castro.
Once upon a time, after the colossal failure at Cuba's Bay of Pigs, CIA Director Allen Dulles formed a strategy to use Cuban exiles living in Florida to take down the dictator who ran them out of their country. But Dulles didn't want to get his CIA's hands dirty. Instead he'd employ gangsters, who also hated Castro because they lost their lucrative casinos when Fidel closed them down, to work with the exiles to assassinate the Cuban troublemaker. Enter Giancana and Roselli, key players in "The Outfit", a Chicago Mafia which at the time rivaled the economic profits of General Motors and US Steel. This was an opportunity for these two wise guys to earn the favor of the US government - ala, a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
But there's a fly in the ointment. Their longtime Florida-based mob associate, Santo Trafficanto, agrees to work with with them to train the Cuban exiles, but what the Chicago boys don't know is that Santo has a handshake deal with Fidel to pass along secrets, in return for which he'll be allowed to traffic his drugs, unmolested, between the narrow waterway separating the two countries. He's a double agent.
There's also the connection to the entertainment crowd in Hollywood and Vegas. This is Roselli's turf. A down on his luck crooner once asks Roselli for his help. He wants to be in the film, From Here to Eternity. Johnny calls the producer and says Hey Harry, I need a favor - hire Frank Sinatra for the movie, or I'll kill you. No need to leave a horses head, because Frank is cast for the role which re-invigorates his career. Through Peter Lawford (Rat Pack buddy) Frank meets JFK. Through Roselli, Frank meets Judy Campbell. JFK is introduced to Judy. Hoover, the wiretapper, finds out and calls little brother, RFK. JFK stops talking to both Campbell and Sinatra, who throws a tantrum.
And of course, what goes up must come down - often hard. Mobsters, once the highest flyers of them all, get brutally murdered to end their career. Presidents and their brothers get assassinated. Ironically, the Communist dictator who was once everyone's target, dies peacefully at age 90 in his sleep.
For those who've had a taste of JFK drama but wish to know more, or even the younger crowd who don't know the cast of characters from the 60s but believe that the world they now live in is filled with nefarious politicians and corporate fat-cats, or just about anyone who likes to learn from history, this is a book I highly recommend.
Thanks to Net Galley and Skyhorse Publishing for the opportunity to read Mafia Spies and give my unbiased opinion.
May 23, 2020
Mafia Spies is an interesting read, for sure. It chronicles the “marriage” between the CIA and the mafia. It is well researched and has extensive footnotes.
It covers – and to my satisfaction – who actually caused the assassination of Kennedy. Bottom line it was the Mafia that caused the “hit”and their motivation can be traced back to RFK hearings on organized crime. The Mafia delivered Illinois to Kennedy in 1960, which is now a given. Many thousands of ballot boxes were found at the bottom of the Chicago long after the election. That in Cook County, Illinois. Nixon honored the agreement with Kennedy to not challenge the results irrespective of the outcome. i.e Nixon kept his word. Ilinois’ electoral votes was what put Kennedy over the top. Then RJK went after the Mafia with a vengeance. They felt betrayed by RFK, with good reason.
But . . . ahead of all that was the CIA’s efforts to take Castro out. The roots seem to go back to the Eisenhower administration, but there is no definitive proof that the administration called for this action to be followed. As most of us know, the CIA operates in the dark and with much secrecy which means our elected officials – including the President – often do not know what the CIA is doing.
It is reported in the book that RFK called off any effort to remove Castro, though we have no proof of that. Nonetheless, many attempts were made on Castro’s life, none worked as we all know. I might add that most every attempt was inept. Oswald was pro-Castro, though never visited there.
The Mafia people involved in all of this included Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, among others. There was the inevitable “honey-pot, Judith Exner Campbell, who slept with Sam Giancana. Pretty murky relations all the way around, don’t you think?
Castro was a real pain in the ass to Kennedy. First the failed Bay of Pigs effort, undercut my Kennedy’s flinching and withdrawing air support. Then the Cuban Missile Crisis. Khrushchev sensed weakness over the Bay of Pigs and thus attempted to gain a huge military foothold 90 miles off our shore. Surprisingly enough, it was RFK, that convinced his brother to respond to the modest offer of an olive branch offered and we averted . . . who knows what? The missiles that were in Cuba were capable of reaching about 80%of the American public.
The Mafia hated Castro – his rise to power resulted in all gambling shut down an huge financial hit for the Mafia.
The CIA, it is claimed, hired the Mafia to kill Castro. Castro got really tired of having to live like that and according to one knowledgeable source he – Castro- struck first and Kennedy was taken out. Bobby Kennedy surely knew that he had a part – in the death of his brother. Given how JFK was murdered, one has to wonder why RFK only had a single body guard with him on that night in Los Angles. Roosevelt Greer was surely not equipped to deal with an assassin.
The book does not go into who or how Oswald was hired to do the deed. This book was published in 2019, so perhaps the author is working on Oswald connection.
I found it interesting to read what I did because when I was a branch manager with Retail Credit in Lansing, Michigan, I had a connection with the attorney general’s office in Detroit. This individual told me that he was one of the people working for the Warren Commission in 1964. He told me in the early 70’s that they knew back then that it was the Mafia and Castro that took JFK out. As to Dealy Plaza and that it was a difficult shot for Oswald. Not so. Less than 100’ away, with a slow –nearly stopped vehicle – and a telescopic lens made it pretty easy. I have stood at that window in Dallas twice.
There is a book titled “Case Closed” by Gerald Posner. Before you start talking about there more than one shooter, that it was a difficult shot, the magic bullet, etc. – read this book. Very thorough and very well researched. Was there more than one shooter that day? We will never know that, though personally I think not – people that knew of the plan, he safer the plan. But I have no doubt at all that the bullets that hit JFK and Texas Governor Connally, all came from Oswald’s rifle.
It covers – and to my satisfaction – who actually caused the assassination of Kennedy. Bottom line it was the Mafia that caused the “hit”and their motivation can be traced back to RFK hearings on organized crime. The Mafia delivered Illinois to Kennedy in 1960, which is now a given. Many thousands of ballot boxes were found at the bottom of the Chicago long after the election. That in Cook County, Illinois. Nixon honored the agreement with Kennedy to not challenge the results irrespective of the outcome. i.e Nixon kept his word. Ilinois’ electoral votes was what put Kennedy over the top. Then RJK went after the Mafia with a vengeance. They felt betrayed by RFK, with good reason.
But . . . ahead of all that was the CIA’s efforts to take Castro out. The roots seem to go back to the Eisenhower administration, but there is no definitive proof that the administration called for this action to be followed. As most of us know, the CIA operates in the dark and with much secrecy which means our elected officials – including the President – often do not know what the CIA is doing.
It is reported in the book that RFK called off any effort to remove Castro, though we have no proof of that. Nonetheless, many attempts were made on Castro’s life, none worked as we all know. I might add that most every attempt was inept. Oswald was pro-Castro, though never visited there.
The Mafia people involved in all of this included Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, among others. There was the inevitable “honey-pot, Judith Exner Campbell, who slept with Sam Giancana. Pretty murky relations all the way around, don’t you think?
Castro was a real pain in the ass to Kennedy. First the failed Bay of Pigs effort, undercut my Kennedy’s flinching and withdrawing air support. Then the Cuban Missile Crisis. Khrushchev sensed weakness over the Bay of Pigs and thus attempted to gain a huge military foothold 90 miles off our shore. Surprisingly enough, it was RFK, that convinced his brother to respond to the modest offer of an olive branch offered and we averted . . . who knows what? The missiles that were in Cuba were capable of reaching about 80%of the American public.
The Mafia hated Castro – his rise to power resulted in all gambling shut down an huge financial hit for the Mafia.
The CIA, it is claimed, hired the Mafia to kill Castro. Castro got really tired of having to live like that and according to one knowledgeable source he – Castro- struck first and Kennedy was taken out. Bobby Kennedy surely knew that he had a part – in the death of his brother. Given how JFK was murdered, one has to wonder why RFK only had a single body guard with him on that night in Los Angles. Roosevelt Greer was surely not equipped to deal with an assassin.
The book does not go into who or how Oswald was hired to do the deed. This book was published in 2019, so perhaps the author is working on Oswald connection.
I found it interesting to read what I did because when I was a branch manager with Retail Credit in Lansing, Michigan, I had a connection with the attorney general’s office in Detroit. This individual told me that he was one of the people working for the Warren Commission in 1964. He told me in the early 70’s that they knew back then that it was the Mafia and Castro that took JFK out. As to Dealy Plaza and that it was a difficult shot for Oswald. Not so. Less than 100’ away, with a slow –nearly stopped vehicle – and a telescopic lens made it pretty easy. I have stood at that window in Dallas twice.
There is a book titled “Case Closed” by Gerald Posner. Before you start talking about there more than one shooter, that it was a difficult shot, the magic bullet, etc. – read this book. Very thorough and very well researched. Was there more than one shooter that day? We will never know that, though personally I think not – people that knew of the plan, he safer the plan. But I have no doubt at all that the bullets that hit JFK and Texas Governor Connally, all came from Oswald’s rifle.
August 20, 2019
A detailed, well-written history of the assassination plots against Castro involving the CIA and the mafia.
Maier describes how Giancana and Rosselli were recruited, the CIA’s various schemes, the role of various celebrities like Sinatra, how the plots went ahead even after Robert Kennedy decided to halt them, and how well-informed Castro was about the plots, sometimes even more so than the Agency.
The narrative is colorful and moves along at a quick pace, but can get a little breezy or repetitive at times. Also, Maier claims that Eisenhower’s direction of a covert action program against Castro “would help transform the CIA━from its original 1947 purpose as a studious collector of foreign intelligence to the armed and dangerous covert branch of the White House.” He ignores the fact that covert action dates back to the Agency’s founding and that the CIA had been carrying out covert action under Truman and Eisenhower, before Castro seized power.
Still, a rich, well-researched work.
Maier describes how Giancana and Rosselli were recruited, the CIA’s various schemes, the role of various celebrities like Sinatra, how the plots went ahead even after Robert Kennedy decided to halt them, and how well-informed Castro was about the plots, sometimes even more so than the Agency.
The narrative is colorful and moves along at a quick pace, but can get a little breezy or repetitive at times. Also, Maier claims that Eisenhower’s direction of a covert action program against Castro “would help transform the CIA━from its original 1947 purpose as a studious collector of foreign intelligence to the armed and dangerous covert branch of the White House.” He ignores the fact that covert action dates back to the Agency’s founding and that the CIA had been carrying out covert action under Truman and Eisenhower, before Castro seized power.
Still, a rich, well-researched work.
August 25, 2019
What a story! This thoroughly researched and accessibly written account of the CIA and their plot to assassinate Castro with the help of the Mafia is a murky and unpalatable tale indeed, describing an intriguing and unsavoury web of deceit and undercover shenanigans, much of which took place with the collusion of those in high places. Not one of the US’s finest hours, for sure. An informative, thought-provoking, entertaining and deeply troubling account of political machinations.
October 3, 2024
Informative and detailed. A pleasure to read because the content and style made it easy to follow.
September 23, 2024
This is good.
June 22, 2023
Mafia
Thoroughly enjoyable in the murky world that shocked the world although we all thought we knew certAin things this excellent book shows we knew. Nothing at all.
Well recommended.
Thoroughly enjoyable in the murky world that shocked the world although we all thought we knew certAin things this excellent book shows we knew. Nothing at all.
Well recommended.
August 23, 2023
total page turner
I couldn’t put it down, I hung on every paragraph!
Wonderfully researched; excellently written.
I was gripped by the deep connections: JFK, Campbell, Giancana, Roselli, Sinatra, Traficante, Howard Hughes.
I couldn’t put it down, I hung on every paragraph!
Wonderfully researched; excellently written.
I was gripped by the deep connections: JFK, Campbell, Giancana, Roselli, Sinatra, Traficante, Howard Hughes.
August 25, 2019
The extent of the CIA’s efforts to eliminate Fidel Castro shortly after he established his dictatorship and showed his true colors as a Communist, was never fully known until the files were finally opened. Driven by the Kennedys' obsession to exterminate Castro, the CIA turned to recruiting Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, two powerful members of Chicago’s “Outfit” (the Mafia), It was reasonable for them to think the Mafia, angered by Castro’s expulsion of their lucrative casinos and entertainment venues, would want revenge. In fact, Roselli and Giancana, dreamed of the day they could re-establish the Mob’s presence unencumbered by this upstart tyrant. With secret operations based on the edge of the Everglades, and enforced by numerous Cubans seeking to reclaim their country, the CIA launched numerous armed attacks even after the disastrous Bay of Pigs fiasco. Moreover, secret plans devised to assassinate Castro repeatedly failed.
This is also the story of the men involved in these plots; CIA administrators, agents, “cutouts,” (like Bob Mahue); members of the Mafia like Santo Trafficante Jr., in addition to Roselli and Giancanta. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, his Rat Pack, and Phyllis McGuire are also swept up into this tale. Not to mention JFK and his brother Robert.
Author Thomas Maier weaves together a fascinating chronicle that surprises as well as entertains.
This is also the story of the men involved in these plots; CIA administrators, agents, “cutouts,” (like Bob Mahue); members of the Mafia like Santo Trafficante Jr., in addition to Roselli and Giancanta. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, his Rat Pack, and Phyllis McGuire are also swept up into this tale. Not to mention JFK and his brother Robert.
Author Thomas Maier weaves together a fascinating chronicle that surprises as well as entertains.
April 13, 2019
This book is well written and reads more like fiction than a traditional history book. It details the involvement of the CIA in its poorly planned attempts at using the Mafia to assasinate Fidel Castro in the 1960's during the Kennedy presidency. It tells the story of the recruitment of Sam Giancana and Johnny Rosselli to use their contacts within the Mafia to carry out various attempts on Castro's life. It involved various CIA personnel along with well known names such as Frank Sinatra and Judy Campbell. Not surprisingly, Castro knew as much or more about the attempts than the CIA due to his use of double agents and spies in southern Florida. A reader will find "the last man standing" Mafia rule reinforced in this book.
I recomend this book for those looking for more insight into the rumors (at the time) of the CIA's involvement in assasination attempts on Fidel Castro that involved using the Mafia as a conduit to accomplishing the task.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.
I recomend this book for those looking for more insight into the rumors (at the time) of the CIA's involvement in assasination attempts on Fidel Castro that involved using the Mafia as a conduit to accomplishing the task.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.
January 13, 2024
This book held some interesting information but it was hard for me to stay connected to it. I know it is non-fiction, but there was no sense of a story line and that made it hard to follow. The cast of characters was so numerous and of such diverse backgrounds that it took me a long time to figure out who everyone was, which added to the feeling of swimming around in the details. Add to that the fact that there was no real resolution to the problem, but I should have guessed there would not be a resolution going in. Maybe I hoped that some detail or other would be revealed about the Kennedys’ deaths proving they were both victims of plots much larger than some lone gunman taking a crack shot to kill them. I lived through that time, and even as young as I was, I knew, and still know, that the information fed to the public about the murders was a lie. I don’t suppose we will ever really know, but at least this book put a lot of people on a track of thinking there was a whole lot more to the story.
September 3, 2023
Давно хотела почитать эту книгу.
Сначала стала читать на читалке и начало было захватывающее и интересное для меня, так как про Фиделя Кастро. Но это только начало было захватывающее. Ещё для меня было интересно как автор рассказывала про детство, как родители ее жили в Германии и мама активно принимала участие в сопротивление против нацисткого движения? Как же те события почти 100-летней давности пересекаются сейчас. До ужаса, до боли, до крика…
Все события описаны после разрыва с Фиделем, довольно не информативны для меня.
Это уже вторая книга, которая мимолётно описывает о сопротивление нацистам. И это радует. Что не все были чеканутые. Но тогда не было от куда брать информацию. Только из радио, которое было запрещено… Миллионы людей поддерживали взгляды нацистов, но время показало, кто есть кто. Правда всегда пробуется лучиком через тьму тьмущую.
Это явно не та книга, которая даёт зёрнышки для размышления. И в сердце не оставит след на долго.
Сначала стала читать на читалке и начало было захватывающее и интересное для меня, так как про Фиделя Кастро. Но это только начало было захватывающее. Ещё для меня было интересно как автор рассказывала про детство, как родители ее жили в Германии и мама активно принимала участие в сопротивление против нацисткого движения? Как же те события почти 100-летней давности пересекаются сейчас. До ужаса, до боли, до крика…
Все события описаны после разрыва с Фиделем, довольно не информативны для меня.
Это уже вторая книга, которая мимолётно описывает о сопротивление нацистам. И это радует. Что не все были чеканутые. Но тогда не было от куда брать информацию. Только из радио, которое было запрещено… Миллионы людей поддерживали взгляды нацистов, но время показало, кто есть кто. Правда всегда пробуется лучиком через тьму тьмущую.
Это явно не та книга, которая даёт зёрнышки для размышления. И в сердце не оставит след на долго.
April 22, 2019
Finally! An outstanding look into one of the darkest chapters in American history. Thomas Maier has written with unbelievable research a story that will enlighten any reader. CIA and the Mofia goes together like horse and carriage. This novel brings to the threshold questions that America always looked for since the Bay of Pigs, November 22, 1963, and of of course the role of Hollywood. Hopefully, this nation did learn a valuable lesson, you can out resource but be very leary of whom you select. Thomas is to be commended for bringing this to America and the World with his excellent style of both seeing the seriousness and humor that actually took place. Fidel won after so many attempts on his life in the end his revenge was sweet but not boastful.
October 26, 2022
This book was an ambitious undertaking that left no tangent unexplored. It's very long and not very well edited; usually I can stay out of work mode when I'm listening to an audiobook, but I sometimes found myself making mental edits as I drove (thank heaven I didn't hit anyone, distracted as I was). Still, it is hard to get too enraptured in a "spy thriller" when you know how it ends—Castro isn't assassinated, Kennedy is—and you really don't have anyone to root for, because everyone's terrible. Doubtless this would be quite appealing to someone more interested in the players and with their own theories on how the conspiracies and cooperative (though unlikely) partnerships played out, but I really wasn't that audience.
June 25, 2019
(2). One of my old friends sent me this book. We have heard about many of these stories for years, but this book really fleshes them out. The first third or so, dealing with the many bungled attempts on assassinating Castro and the planning, tends to get pretty tedious and boring. The last third, where Maier follows the fortunes of Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana directly, flows much better and is pretty damn interesting. Lots of research obviously went into this effort, but except for us 60’s participants, I don’t think it holds much water. Reasonable stuff.
January 24, 2021
Fascinating and detailed account of the long-suppressed story of the CIA's involvement with the Mafia in attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. From Chicago to Hollywood to Las Vegas to Miami and Washington, Maier has done extensive research to tell this story. The Kennedy brothers do not emerge with their reputations intact, and recently deceased member of the well-known McGuire Sisters- Phyllis McGuire- also was involved. Fidel Castro is the only figure in this entire story who was able to laugh at the clownish CIA attempts to end his life.
August 30, 2025
This book requires the reader to suspend whatever sympathy they have for the current Cuban government and the late, great Fidel Castro, as Maier untangles the various CIH-Mafia plots to assassinate him. In truth, the book tells us more about the horrendous crimes of the maffia, and it is ironic that it can make snide accusations against Castro when the highest levels of the US government are conspiring with some of the world's most vicious criminals, to commit crimes against a foreign leader. But this of course is permissible in the fight against 'communism'.
July 14, 2022
I wanted this book to be good so badly, and parts of it were, but it was more confusing than informative and I think tried to encapsulate too much instead of picking a few story lines to focus on.
Pros: Incredibly interesting time period, the connection between the CIA, The rat pack, JFK, Cuba, Russia, everything, is so crazy to read through. It's also wild how much happened without the use of internet or cell phones.
Cons: Scattered, so many characters and story lines to focus on.
Pros: Incredibly interesting time period, the connection between the CIA, The rat pack, JFK, Cuba, Russia, everything, is so crazy to read through. It's also wild how much happened without the use of internet or cell phones.
Cons: Scattered, so many characters and story lines to focus on.
September 10, 2024
This was a much easier and interesting read than I expected. The focus is on mobsters Roselli and Giancana’s role as CIA collaborators in a decades long plot to kill Castro. However, it’s impossible to tell their stories without including major political figures of the times… Dulles, JFK, RFK, LBJ, etc. The tangled web of lies, miscalculations and misinformation is disturbing plus this was our government using gangsters in a concentrated effort to kill another country’s leader.
February 4, 2020
This is the story of the CIA recruiting some of the Mafia, primarily Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, to assassinate Fidel Castro. It also goes into the relationship of Roselli and Giancana to Frank Sinatra, Jack Kennedy, Judy Campbell, and Marylyn Monroe. Maier scoured the recently released Kennedy files to get a lot of the information.
August 31, 2020
Tells the story of the CIA using organized crime figures in attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. If half of this is true, it's an astounding half scandal, half fiasco. Not only did the agency attempt to kill the dictator running a foreign country--bad as he was--but they made such an astounding botch of their many attempts to do so.
December 5, 2020
USA, Cuba, Soviet Union, JFK, RFK, Frank Sinatra, Castro, Mafia, Mobsters, Casinos, Gangsters, Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Assassination, Scandals, Cold War, Betrayal, Murder, Deals, Secrets, Lies.
All rolled into one book and tied together. Well done.
It wasn't a gripping read, but I really enjoyed it.
All rolled into one book and tied together. Well done.
It wasn't a gripping read, but I really enjoyed it.
September 5, 2019
Fills in some gaps
I remember reading a lot about these people as this was going and had wondered through the years. This book focuses on things now known and fills in some of the blanks from the stories of this interesting history.
I remember reading a lot about these people as this was going and had wondered through the years. This book focuses on things now known and fills in some of the blanks from the stories of this interesting history.
December 23, 2019
History That Reads Like a Thriller
This is a book that reveals many of the rumors and speculations regarding the Kennedy assassination and illustrates the truth. A thoroughly researched work that is a credit to history.
This is a book that reveals many of the rumors and speculations regarding the Kennedy assassination and illustrates the truth. A thoroughly researched work that is a credit to history.
April 7, 2019
The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. There were many facts that I only discovered after reading this!
June 24, 2019
This book needed a better editor.
July 28, 2019
This was very interesting and an easy book to read.
August 2, 2019
repetitive
September 22, 2019
This a good book brings back the60
November 24, 2019
This one took me awhile! Not a quick read but very interest especially for someone who lived thru these times and events.
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