Brothers in arms : the Kennedys, the Castros, and the politics of murder

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Title:

Brothers in arms : the Kennedys, the Castros, and the politics of murder

Author:

Russo, Gus.

ISBN:

9781596915329

Edition:

1st U.S. ed.

Publication Information:

New York : Bloomsbury, 2008.

Physical Description:

xiii, 545 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., map ; 25 cm.

Contents:

Living through another Cuba -- Revolution -- The patriot game -- On the beach -- Meet the boys on the battlefront -- Both sides now -- Talking Cuba crisis -- Irresistible targets -- Spies like us -- A pawn in their game -- Runaway train -- Desolation row -- Cannons in the rain -- The games people play -- Sympathy for the devil -- Ain't no man righteous, no not one.

Personal Subject:

Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963-Assassination.

Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968-Assassination.

Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.

Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968.

Castro, Fidel, 1926-2016

Castro, Raúl, 1930-

Subject Term:

Presidents -- Assassination -- United States -- History -- 20th century.

Assassination -- Political aspects -- United States -- History -- 20th century.

Assassination -- Political aspects -- Cuba -- History -- 20th century.

Presidents -- United States -- Biography.

Attorneys general -- United States -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Foreign relations -- Cuba.

Cuba -- Foreign relations -- United States.

Added Author:

Molton, Stephen.

Summary:

Using breakthrough reporting and interviews with long-silent sources, investigative journalist Russo and coauthor Molton have crafted a dramatic retelling of the time before, during, and after the JFK assassination. The book centers on the two opposed sets of brothers--the Kennedys and the Castros--who collectively authored one of modern history's most dangerous, and tragically ironic, chapters. Bobby Kennedy pushed for the murder of Fidel Castro and instead got the death of his beloved brother, a psychic blow from which he himself never recovered. Lee Harvey Oswald killed an admired president and traumatized a nation, but in so doing may have prevented a third world war. Built on thirty years of intense research--including discoveries so significant that they have rekindled CIA and State Department interest in the Kennedy assassination--this book provides extraordinary new facts that will force a reconsideration of how and why the Kennedy murder came to pass--Publisher.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	973.922092 RUS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A groundbreaking new reporting of the historical drama linking the Kennedys and the Castros that sheds new light on the JFK assassination.

Using breakthrough reporting and interviews with long-silent sources, Russo and coauthor Stephen Molton have crafted a dramatic retelling of the time before, during, and after the Kennedy killing. The book centers on the two opposed sets of brothers--the Kennedys and the Castros--who collectively authored one of modern history's most dangerous, and tragically ironic, chapters. Bobby Kennedy pushed for the murder of Fidel Castro and instead got the death of his beloved brother, a psychic blow from which he himself never recovered. Lee Harvey Oswald killed an admired president and traumatized a nation, but in so doing may have prevented a third world war.

Built on thirty years of intense research--including discoveries so significant that they have rekindled CIA and State Department interest in the Kennedy assassination-- Brothers in Arms is a vivid, character-driven, almost cinematic narration of a singularly fascinating time. For neophytes, it is the most accessible and informed single volume on the assassination. For the many readers fascinated by this story, it provides extraordinary new facts that will force a reconsideration of how and why the Kennedy murder came to pass.

Author Notes

Gus Russo is the author of Supermob , The Outfit , and Live by the Sword , the last two of which were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He has worked an investigative reporter for PBS's Frontline , ABC News Special Reports, and Dan Rather's CBS Reports , and as a consultant for programs such as 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes II, and Eye to Eye with Connie Chung. He lives in Baltimore.

Stephen Molton is the author of the novel Brave Talk. Molton adapted Russo's book, Live By the Sword as a four-hour miniseries for Showtime, and has also written films for such companies as New Line Cinema and Paramount Television. He lives in New York City and Pioneertown, California.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Two investigative journalists recount the dangerous political duel between the brothers Kennedy and Castro. "I've killed my own brother!" With this anguished cry, say former Frontline reporter Russo (Supermob: How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America's Hidden Power Brokers, 2006, etc.) and screenwriter Molton (Brave Talk, 1987), Robert Kennedy, who for years headed the administration's counterinsurgency effort against Fidel Castro, acknowledged his complicity in JFK's assassination. When the name "Oswald" showed up in a dossier indicating that the unstable ex-Marine was considered for recruitment by anti-Castro forces, RFK understood that the deadly game of spy-counterspy had come full circle. As with his counterpart, Raul Castro (Fidel's younger brother), who was in charge of Cuba's intelligence service, RFK's selfless devotion knew no bounds. Both viewed the contest between their countries in highly personal terms: "what offended the dignity of the brother offended the dignity of his entire nation." Relying on past histories and innumerable interviews, the authors vividly reconstruct the Cold War atmosphere of the '60s. Acknowledging Oswald as the sole triggerman, they convincingly conclude that he was a Cuban asset who acted under his own agency, but was also a patsy for larger clandestine elements. Their tracing of Oswald's creepy progress to Dallas's Dealey Plaza, their detailed portrait of the shadowy Rolando Cubela Secades (was he a double agent?) and their intimate knowledge of the shadowy intelligence world all contribute to a deeper understanding of the sometimes purposeful, sometimes random forces at work. Russo and Molton attribute the coverup of Oswald's Cuban connection to the Warren Commission's ignorance about the extent of the Kennedy brothers' plots to kill Castro, to RFK's interest in protecting the family legacy and to Lyndon Johnson's desire to keep an enraged America from retaliating and possibly triggering World War III. A serious, intriguing look at the blood feud whose horrible consequences continue to reverberate. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

The recent release of a treasure trove of documents from the National Archives and a German TV network's underwriting of new international research form the backbone for this reopening of a lingering question surrounding the Kennedy assassination: Was Castro behind Lee Harvey Oswald's act? The research is exhaustive (with extensive notes and bibliography), but the writing is pointed and suspenseful. In reassessing the lead-up to and aftermath of the Dallas tragedy, the authors focus on two sets of remarkable contemporary brothers Fidel and Raul Castro and John and Bobby Kennedy. This is a powerful piece of historical investigative reporting, accessible both to those familiar with the Kennedy assassination and those less involved with the conspiracy theory. Russo has worked as an investigative reporter for PBS' Frontline and other networks. Molton is a novelist and film writer. Together, they've produced a solidly researched piece of journalism that reads like a thriller.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2008 Booklist

Cast of Characters	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
1 Living Through Another Cuba	p. 11
2 Revolution	p. 38
3 The Patriot Game	p. 65
4 On the Beach	p. 99
5 Meet the Boys on the Battlefront	p. 131
6 Both Sides Now	p. 165
7 Talking Cuba Crisis	p. 191
8 Irresistible Targets	p. 230
9 Spies Like Us	p. 272
10 A Pawn in Their Game	p. 302
11 Runaway Train	p. 322
12 Desolation Row	p. 349
13 Cannons in the Rain	p. 369
14 The Games People Play	p. 388
15 Sympathy for the Devil	p. 423
16 Ain't No Man Righteous, No Not One	p. 450
Afterword	p. 471
Acknowledgments	p. 477
Appendix The Marty Underwood Story	p. 479
Notes	p. 485
Bibliography	p. 513
Index	p. 521

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Summary

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Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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