Category: American History

Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years -David Talbot

On By Genyc79In American History2 Comments

BrothersThe administration of John F. Kennedy continues to draw fascination and examination more than 50 years after his assassination.  The young president and his brother had  envisioned a new America full of social change, changes in foreign policy and economic reformation.  The murders of John and Robert Kennedy permanently changed the course of American history.  Following their deaths, the Vietnam War, Watergate, Iraq and many other regrettable events would damage America’s reputation abroad.  David Talbot, author of ‘The Devil’s Chessboard’, brings to us this New York Times Bestseller about the relationship between Jack and Robert Kennedy, the obstacles the new administration faced and the aftermath of that fateful trip to Dallas.

Camelot is the word most often used to describe the Kennedy administration, and its usage only grew after Kennedy’s death.  His administration is still subject to fierce criticism and debate often dividing people between either for or against its actions from 1961-1963.  But from all accounts, it was an eccentric mix of young intellectuals, fanatical military advisers, intelligence agents and law enforcement agencies, some of whom proved to be deadly enemies.  Talbot’s masterpiece reveals an administration at war with itself in which the new young president was forced to fight battles on several fronts, each one testing his patience, wisdom and foresight.

The election of John F. Kennedy sparked hope in the minds of thousands of Americans.  Social upheaval and the resolution of conflict without weapons at war were attractive to many voters.   Racial conflict marred with segregation, horrific violence, communist paranoia, religious division and memories of World War II helped fuel a decade that is one of the most violent in the history of this country.   Talbot takes us on a journey investigating what really happened during those times and how dangerously close Kennedy came to losing control of his own government and being provoked into launching nuclear weapons at the Soviet Union.  He also faced the threat of losing control of the Senate, at the time filled with conservative Republicans determined to protect supremacist views and the power hold of the conservative right.   In this torrid environment, two brothers bonded together walking a tight line in the process.

I’ve heard more than one person that things were never the same after Dallas.  The official story to this day is the conclusion reached by the Warren Commission.  However, over the past 50 years, pubic faith in the report has decreased exponentially.   An increase in assassination books and documentaries has caused many to take another look at what is often called the crime of the century.   Following JFK’s murder, Talbot continues along the trail following the life of the night watchman himself, Bobby.  His descent into depression, resurgence to public service and entry in the presidential race is one of the most fascinating political stories in the history of this nation.  But his assassination in 1968,  served as a sense of complete loss to those still mourning JFK and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s deaths while clinging to a shred of faith in state of the country.   There are many dark moments in the book and through Talbot we painfully relive each one. But what results in the end, is an invaluable account of an era that helped defined the modern day United States of America.

ISBN-10: 0743269195
ISBN-13: 978-0743269193

 

Molehunt: The Secret Search for Traitors That Shattered the CIA -David Wise

On By Genyc79In American HistoryLeave a comment

molehuntdavidwise-1a_smallMay 11, 1987 -James Jesus Angleton, the former chief of counterintelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency, dies at the age of 87 from the effects of advanced stage lung cancer.  The legendary officer, who at one time also worked for the Office of Strategic Services, had been living out his final years quietly at his home in suburban Washington, D.C.  In 1974 he was relieved of his command by then director William Colby after 19 years of service.  His termination came on the heels of the search for moles within the CIA, a search that nearly destroyed the agency and was headed by Angleton.

David Wise presents to us his investigative report of the mole hunt, the lives and careers destroyed and the near implosion of the CIA.  The Cold War escalated tensions between the United States and Soviet Union with each side engaging in covert espionage operations to gather classified information and military secrets.   Agents, double agents and defectors kept the suspense high as they moved between the two  nations causing panic and hysteria as the CIA, KGB and British MI6 searched for moles threatening to bring about the downfall of several intelligence agencies. Angleton, by all accounts, was a strange, fascinating and mysterious individual.  Firmly convinced that a Soviet mole was within the CIA after the “defection” of Anatoly Golitsin, he and his subordinates began a crusade to rid the agency of moles and in the process, almost caused intelligence  recruitment and operations to come to a grinding halt.  Wise covers the operation and its many victims in extensive detail revealing the paranoia that spread rapidly as high level operatives found themselves cast under a web of suspicion.  Many officers resigned from the agency once their reputations were questioned and others were simply let go.  Years after both Angleton and Colby had left the agency, the Mole Relief Act (Public Law 96-450) was passed, providing compensation to some former employees wrongly targeted under Angleton’s relentless search for moles.

The CIA remains one of America’s most secretive agencies and the Freedom of Information Act has provided significant amounts of documents once previously classified that reveal the true nature of the operations in place during the Cold War and the hunt for Soviet moles which to this day, remains a dark period in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency.

ISBN-10: 0394585143
ISBN-13: 978-0394585147

 

The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA and the Rise of America’s Secret Government-David Talbot

On By Genyc79In American History4 Comments

920x920July 26, 1947- President Harry S. Truman signs into law the National Security Act, establishing the formation of an intelligence agency dedicated to serving the president.  The end result is the formation of the Central Intelligence Agency.  Later in life, Truman came to regret the law as the CIA grew beyond his original intentions into an unaccountable, dangerous and highly suspicious agency seemingly under the control of no one.  Stories of operatives such as Allen Dulles, Bill Harvey,  Richard Helms, David Atlee Phillips, Cord Meyer, Jr. and James Jesus Angleton are both endless and legendary.  But what was really going on within the CIA and what was the true nature of its relationship with the White House? David Talbot presents to us his investigative report into the dark side of the CIA and the secret government within the United States.

January 29, 1969-Allen W. Dulles dies at the age of 75 of complications from pneumonia in Washington, D.C.   Dying with him is an unknown number of secrets of the U.S. intelligence apparatus.  The former director of the CIA, former intelligence operative of the OSS and member of the Warren Commission, was relieved of his post by President Kennedy following the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in April, 1961.  Kennedy and Dulles continued to maintain a strained relationship that would never fully heal.  Although officially relieved of duty, Dulles continued to engage in intelligence operations and keep close contact with top members of the CIA.  And nearly fifty years after his death, his name evokes both admiration and fear.  However, as more information comes to light about the dark operations of the agency he lead, the more we are exposed to the dark side of Allen W. Dulles and his older brother and former Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles.

In March, 1945, the Allied forces in conjunction with the OSS, conducted Operation Sunrise, the black operation that obtained the freedom of several high-ranking Nazis including Karl Wolff.   Dulles, at the time working for the OSS, spearheaded the campaign which was done secretly under the radar of the oval office.  This mission would be one of many in Dulles’ career that could have caused international turmoil and embarrassment.   Operation Sunrise was followed by equally as controversial programs such as Operation Paperclip,  ZR/RIFLE and MK/ULTRA the agency’s attempt at a real life Manchurian Candidate.  All of the details are included in this book and the full story is beyond shocking.

The agency faced its biggest challenge under the Kennedy Administration.  Kennedy, convinced that he was unable to trust information provided by the CIA, vowed to shatter the agency and placed the control of covert operations under the control of the military.  Following his assassination, the policy was reversed, authorizing covert operations in domestic and international affairs resulting in disastrous foreign policy which culminated with the Vietnam War.  Dulles wouldn’t live to see the war’s end, but his agency’s role in the conflict is still the topic of debate.  Talbot’s account of the strained relationship between the Kennedys and the CIA reveals an administration at war with its own intelligence community and one that ended violently in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.  Many of the figures in the book are now deceased, but the book reveals a very disturbing part of U.S. history that continues to haunt this nation and forces us to ask ourselves what power truly is and who really wields it?   And just how much do we know about the intelligence community and what their objectives are? Additionally, the book a critical asset to JFK assassination researchers and those who desire to know the truth about what happened in Dealey Plaza.

ISBN-10: 0062276174
ISBN-13: 978-0062276179

 

 

 

War Is A Racket-Smedley Darlington Butler

On By Genyc79In American HistoryLeave a comment

ButlerWar is an experience that forever changes a person.  I can’t think of any person that I know who returned from active combat without any long-lasting effects.  My uncle, who served in Vietnam, is adverse to the loud explosions from the firecrackers on the 4th of July to this day.  Many veterans have become outspoken critics of war and have written numerous books and given speeches, the famous of which that comes to mind is Ron Kovic, portrayed brilliantly by Tom Cruise in Oliver Stone’s ‘Born On The Fourth Of July’.

Years before Kovic fought in Vietnam becoming a paraplegic in the process, there was another former marine who became an outspoken critic of war.  Smedley Butler, at the time the most decorated soldier in United States history, wrote this short but eye-opening book about the financial aspect of war and  the benefits that are obtained by few behind the scenes.  I forewarn the reader that the author is very frank in his beliefs about the true motives of war.   For those that are overly patriotic, this book will rattle the nerves and will be dismissed as the rantings of a lunatic and bitter former soldier.  But for those who have an open mind and are not blind to the horrors and financial gains of war, this book will resonate with long-held beliefs that war is hell.  And while I do believe that some conflicts this country has engaged in were justified and necessary, there’s still a very dark side to war that most people would rather not know about.

ASIN: B00P8OEFFY