The Castro Obsession: U.s. Covert Operations Against Cuba, 1959-1965

by Don Bohning

At the height of the Cold War, the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations made removing Fidel Castro’s regime one of their highest foreign policy priorities. The Castro Obsession provides new insight into the bold U.S. covert war against Cuba that lasted from 1959 until 1965. Eisenhower and Kennedy’s fervent desire to get rid of Castro led to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, but the efforts to oust his regime did not end there. It became an obsession. Primarily through the CIA and the military, the United States resorted to economic and political destabilization, propaganda, sabotage, hit-and-run raids, and assassination plots to try to topple the regime. This secret war was one of the most wide-ranging, sustained, expensive, and ultimately futile covert action campaigns in history. Was this secret war wise, and did it ultimately promote U.S. interests? Don Bohning says no. Even if the details were murky, the extreme American pressure on Cuba was apparent to all, and this heavy-handedness severely damaged the U.S. image in Latin America and much of the Third World. Instead of ridding the hemisphere of a dictator, these efforts increased his international political fame and provided him the excuse for more repression in Cuba. U.S. attempts to overthrow Castro also had dire unintended consequences, such as contributing to the Soviet decision to install nuclear missiles in Cuba, which produced the most dangerous crisis of the Cold War. Bohning sheds new light on this covert war, revealing that it was even more extensive, risky, and long-lived than previously thought.

Genres: History

307 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Numnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the easiest of reads, but a decent addition to the subject.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines the history of CIA operations against Cuba and argues, convincingly, that they were not worth the effort and expense.

The book covers the Bay of Pigs and Operation Mongoose, and the roles played by the White House, the CIA, the military, and the Cuban exile community. Bohning argues that these operations had little effect other than boosting Castro’s standing in the communist world and making the US look ridiculous, and indirectly contributed to the Soviets’ decision to base missiles on the island. While this conclusion is fairly common, Bohning still does a fine job supporting it. Bohning writes in a neutral, unpretentious tone (even when covering the most ridiculous and bizarre of the Agency’s operations), although he is fairly critical of Bobby Kennedy and Edward Lansdale, and he does a fine job tying all the threads of this story together into a single volume.

An excellent work, although Bohning never really explores the reasoning and rationale behind the Kennedys’ Cuban policy, or the larger Cold War context.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt as though I was reading government reports rather than a book. Told from a journalistic perspective, it felt as though it was written against Cuba. The only reason I didn't give it one star was because I felt I learned something, but it felt like I was being lectured by a teacher rather than reading it on my own time. Despite all that, it is very informative if you would like to know everything the U.S did against Cuba during this time.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

An important book for the history of the Cuban Revolution and the US attempts to get rid of Castro. However, it it written from a journalist point of view which makes it a lousy read. For the use of information is put together like card stacking propaganda. The author has an axe to grind, but it does have value, it just does not read well.