The Brilliant Disaster

JFK, Castro, and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Caribbean & West Indian, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book The Brilliant Disaster by Jim Rasenberger, Scribner
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jim Rasenberger ISBN: 9781439100479
Publisher: Scribner Publication: April 5, 2011
Imprint: Scribner Language: English
Author: Jim Rasenberger
ISBN: 9781439100479
Publisher: Scribner
Publication: April 5, 2011
Imprint: Scribner
Language: English

A “balanced, engrossing account” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) of the Bay of Pigs crisis drawing on long-hidden CIA documents and delivering the vivid truth of five pivotal days in April 1961.

At the heart of the Bay of Pigs crisis stood President John F. Kennedy, and journalist Jim Rasenberger traces what Kennedy knew, thought, and said as events unfolded. He examines whether Kennedy was manipulated by the CIA into approving a plan that would ultimately involve the American military. He also draws compelling portraits of the other figures who played key roles in the drama: Fidel Castro, who shortly after achieving power visited New York City and was cheered by thousands (just months before the United States began plotting his demise); Dwight Eisenhower, who originally ordered the secret program, then later disavowed it; Allen Dulles, the CIA director who may have told Kennedy about the plan before he was elected president (or so Richard Nixon suspected); and Richard Bissell, the famously brilliant “deus ex machina” who ran the operation for the CIA—and took the blame when it failed. Beyond the short-term fallout, Rasenberger demonstrates, the Bay of Pigs gave rise to further and greater woes, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and even, possibly, the assassination of John Kennedy.

Written with elegant clarity and narrative verve, The Brilliant Disaster is the most complete account of this event to date, providing not only a fast-paced chronicle of the disaster but an analysis of how it occurred—a question as relevant today as then—and how it profoundly altered the course of modern American history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A “balanced, engrossing account” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) of the Bay of Pigs crisis drawing on long-hidden CIA documents and delivering the vivid truth of five pivotal days in April 1961.

At the heart of the Bay of Pigs crisis stood President John F. Kennedy, and journalist Jim Rasenberger traces what Kennedy knew, thought, and said as events unfolded. He examines whether Kennedy was manipulated by the CIA into approving a plan that would ultimately involve the American military. He also draws compelling portraits of the other figures who played key roles in the drama: Fidel Castro, who shortly after achieving power visited New York City and was cheered by thousands (just months before the United States began plotting his demise); Dwight Eisenhower, who originally ordered the secret program, then later disavowed it; Allen Dulles, the CIA director who may have told Kennedy about the plan before he was elected president (or so Richard Nixon suspected); and Richard Bissell, the famously brilliant “deus ex machina” who ran the operation for the CIA—and took the blame when it failed. Beyond the short-term fallout, Rasenberger demonstrates, the Bay of Pigs gave rise to further and greater woes, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and even, possibly, the assassination of John Kennedy.

Written with elegant clarity and narrative verve, The Brilliant Disaster is the most complete account of this event to date, providing not only a fast-paced chronicle of the disaster but an analysis of how it occurred—a question as relevant today as then—and how it profoundly altered the course of modern American history.

More books from Scribner

Cover of the book The Placebo Effect by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Four Seasons in Rome by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book The Doublet Affair by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book The Jack Factor by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Wildfire by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Journey to the Sun by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Four Sisters of Hofei by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Dirty Diplomacy by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Nixonland by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book The Pine Tar Game by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Rocco's Five Minute Flavor by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Boss Rove by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book True at First Light by Jim Rasenberger
Cover of the book Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens by Jim Rasenberger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy