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Psywar on Cuba : The Declassified History of U.S. Anti-Castro Propaganda
Newly declassified CIA and U.S. Government documents are reproduced here for the first time, exposing a 40-year campaign by Washington to use psychological warfare and propaganda to destabilize Cuba and undermine its revolution.
The Cuban people have been the target for one of the largest psychological warfare campaigns ever waged by one country against another. This book details the U.S. psywar efforts, overt and covert, which have included rumor campaigns, posters, newspapers, books, comics, newsreels, leaflet drops, and radio and TV broadcasts from airplanes, blimps, boats, submarines, secluded islands and the U.S. mainland.
As a comprehensive record of the political, legal and strategic aspects of this four-decade long, multi-million dollar propaganda barrage, the book will serve as a valuable case study and reference for teachers and students of political science, Cold War history, media studies and international communication.
Hundreds of pages of previously secret documents are included in this unique and stunning contribution to the literature on U.S. foreign policy and anti-Castro covert operations.
“An excellent overview of the whole sad story of U.S. efforts to use radio broadcasting and now TV against the Castro government — efforts which are simply part of a deceitful and utterly counterproductive policy,” Wayne S. Smith, former US diplomat in Havana.
- GenresHistory
300 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1999
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March 1, 2022
"By March 1960 the CIA developed a detailed plan to overthrow the Cuban leadership. On March 17 the agency obtained President Eisenhower's approval for a policy paper titled "A Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime."
The plan called for a wide range of intelligence, political, paramilitary, and psychological warfare operations "to bring about the replacement of the Castro regime with one more devoted to the true interests of the Cuban people and more acceptable to the U.S. in such a manner as to avoid any appearance of U.S. intervention." As President Eisenhower met with top national security officials to discuss the plan, he stressed that "our hand must now show in anything that is done."
This book is about the secret history of psywars in Cuba post revolution. At one point, the CIA station in Cuba targeting Cuba was the largest CIA station on the planet. This station believed necessary to carry out a still ongoing, multi decade long process of overthrowing the people's revolution of Cuba through covert and overt means. Primary source documents alongside overviews structure the research.
U.S. psywar tactics include--false flag operations (carrying out terrorist attacks and then blaming the Cubans), black operations (hiring exile groups to forge Cuban documents to sow distrust in Central American/Caribbean countries), breaking international law by launching radio and television programs into Cuba, work with the most right wing regimes in Central and South America to isolate Cuba development, and fund and create exile groups wherein CIA ghost wrote programs/statements.
Always slept on is the role of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF). Supported by the CIA, this group's influence rivals that of AIPAC. Jorge Mas Canosa, a well-connected to the CIA who chairs the organization and has sponsored convicted Cuban exile terrorist activities, was appointed chair of Advisory Board for Broadcasting to Cuba by Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, this right wing fraudulent self-serving narrative has historically monopolized American's understanding of Cuba.
This book is a small part to deconstructing that narrative and stimulates a reevaluation of independence movements by American leftists. Could use an update as this is quite old but it does provide resources to research centers who are still active today.
The plan called for a wide range of intelligence, political, paramilitary, and psychological warfare operations "to bring about the replacement of the Castro regime with one more devoted to the true interests of the Cuban people and more acceptable to the U.S. in such a manner as to avoid any appearance of U.S. intervention." As President Eisenhower met with top national security officials to discuss the plan, he stressed that "our hand must now show in anything that is done."
This book is about the secret history of psywars in Cuba post revolution. At one point, the CIA station in Cuba targeting Cuba was the largest CIA station on the planet. This station believed necessary to carry out a still ongoing, multi decade long process of overthrowing the people's revolution of Cuba through covert and overt means. Primary source documents alongside overviews structure the research.
U.S. psywar tactics include--false flag operations (carrying out terrorist attacks and then blaming the Cubans), black operations (hiring exile groups to forge Cuban documents to sow distrust in Central American/Caribbean countries), breaking international law by launching radio and television programs into Cuba, work with the most right wing regimes in Central and South America to isolate Cuba development, and fund and create exile groups wherein CIA ghost wrote programs/statements.
Always slept on is the role of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF). Supported by the CIA, this group's influence rivals that of AIPAC. Jorge Mas Canosa, a well-connected to the CIA who chairs the organization and has sponsored convicted Cuban exile terrorist activities, was appointed chair of Advisory Board for Broadcasting to Cuba by Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, this right wing fraudulent self-serving narrative has historically monopolized American's understanding of Cuba.
This book is a small part to deconstructing that narrative and stimulates a reevaluation of independence movements by American leftists. Could use an update as this is quite old but it does provide resources to research centers who are still active today.
Displaying 1 of 1 review