The last soldiers of the Cold War : the story of the Cuban Five

Title:

Author:

Morais, Fernando author.

Uniform Title:

Últimos soldados da Guerra Fria. English

ISBN:

9781781688762

9781781688779

9781781688786

Physical Description:

275 pages ; 21 cm

General Note:

First published as Os Últimos Soldados da Guerra Fria, Companhia das Letras, 2011.

Contents:

Veteran of the Angolan War, René steals a plane in Cuba, lands in Miami and receives a hero's welcome -- A MiG commander swims seven hours across the shark-infested Guantanamo Bay; Arriving at a US Naval airbase, he emerges from the sea shouting: "I'm a Cuban officer, I'm defecting!" -- Overnight, 130,000 people flee Cuba for the United States and defeat Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton -- The Cuban Gerardo Hernandez abandons his diplomatic career, changes identity and lands in Miami as the Puerto Rican Manuel Viramóntez -- By the middle of 1995 the Wasp Network has thirteen Cuban secret agents in anti-Castroist organizations; but the FBI is already watching them -- Love attacks the secret agents : Tony marries Maggie and René manages to bring Olga and his daughter to Miami -- José Basulto defies the White House and the Cuban MiGs and decides to fly once more over Havana -- The Cuban control tower authorizes the MiG fighters to shoot : seconds later, two Cessnas are reduced to dust over the Florida Straits -- The mercenary Cruz León didn't want to kill anyone; his dream was to be just like Sylvester Stallone -- For $7,500, the Salvadoran returns to Cuba to plant another five bombs in hotels and restaurants -- The Cuban Intelligence Services set two traps, but fail to catch Big Paunch, the recruiter of mercenaries hired by Miami -- Fidel Castro sends Bill Clinton a letter with accusations against the extreme right-wing Florida organizations; the carrier pigeon is Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez -- Six FBI agents arrive secretly in Havana and return to the United States with a crate full of reports on the Florida organizations produced by order of Fidel Castro -- A portrait of Cuban Miami : the militant anti-Castroist Rodolfo Frómeta, the pro-Cuban journalist Max Lesnik and the Marxist writer Norberto Fuentes -- Leonard Weinglass, attorney to Jane Fonda, Angela Davis and the Black Panthers joins the defense of the Cuban Five, but for them the die had already been cast -- Afterword: This story will only be finished when all five of us are free / by René Gonzalez -- Epilogue -- List of interviewees.

Corporate Subject:

Red Avispa (Spy network)

Subject Term:

Espionage, Cuban -- Florida -- History -- 20th century.

Spies -- Cuba -- Biography.

Political prisoners -- United States -- Biography.

Cold War.

Cubans -- Florida -- Politics and government -- 20th century.

Right-wing extremists -- Florida -- History -- 20th century.

Terrorism -- Cuba -- History -- 20th century.

Geographic Term:

Cuba -- Foreign relations -- United States.

United States -- Foreign relations -- Cuba.

Summary:

"Here is the story of political prisoners finally freed in December 2014, after being held captive by the United States since the late 1990s. Through the 1980s and 1990s, violent anti-Castro groups based in Florida carried out hundreds of military attacks on Cuba, bombing hotels and shooting up Cuban beaches with machine guns. The Cuban government struck back with the Wasp Network--a dozen men and two women--sent to infiltrate those organizations. The Last Soldiers of the Cold War tells the story of those unlikely Cuban spies and their eventual unmasking and prosecution by US authorities. Five of the Cubans received long or life prison terms on charges of espionage and murder. Global best-selling Brazilian author Fernando Morais narrates the riveting tale of the Cuban Five in vivid, page-turning detail, delving into the decades-long conflict between Cuba and the US, the growth of the powerful Cuban exile community in Florida, and a trial that eight Nobel Prize winners condemned as a travesty of justice. The Last Soldiers of the Cold War is both a real-life spy thriller and a searching examination of the Cold War's legacy"--

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	327.7291 MOR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	327.7291 MOR	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Here is the story of political prisoners finally freed in December 2014, after being held captive by the United States since the late 1990s.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, violent anti-Castro groups based in Florida carried out hundreds of military attacks on Cuba, bombing hotels and shooting up Cuban beaches with machine guns. The Cuban government struck back with the Wasp Network--a dozen men and two women--sent to infiltrate those organizations.

The Last Soldiers of the Cold War tells the story of those unlikely Cuban spies and their eventual unmasking and prosecution by US authorities. Five of the Cubans received long or life prison terms on charges of espionage and murder. Global best-selling Brazilian author Fernando Morais narrates the riveting tale of the Cuban Five in vivid, page-turning detail, delving into the decades-long conflict between Cuba and the US, the growth of the powerful Cuban exile community in Florida, and a trial that eight Nobel Prize winners condemned as a travesty of justice.

The Last Soldiers of the Cold War is both a real-life spy thriller and a searching examination of the Cold War's legacy.

Author Notes

Fernando Morais is one of Brazil's most important contemporary writers and journalists. He has received the Esso Award three times and the April Award for journalism on four occasions. Morais's works have sold more than two million copies in more than nineteen countries.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In a tale that straddles the Straits of Florida, Brazilian journalist Morais recounts the story of the Wasp Network, a cadre of 14 spies from Cuba sent by Fidel Castro to Dade County, Fla., to infiltrate anti-Castro groups. Personal histories of both minor and major players share the limelight with the usual spy tropes and moral ambiguity as Morais culls details from over three dozen interviews with the parties involved. He includes such figures as Cruz Leon, a young mercenary from El Salvador contracted to plant bombs in tourist hotels, who thought of himself as a real-life Sylvester Stallone; and Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who was sent to personally deliver a message from Castro to President Clinton. Morais employs a thriller-like pace, addressing the historical context of Clinton-era politics and presenting a riveting, crystal-clear picture of a story otherwise made murky by media with its own agenda. The book, entertaining in its own right, also serves as a reminder that the Cold War extended beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall and that ingenuity often trumps material resources. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

December 17, 2014 brought a new era to U.S.-Cuba relations, with the proposed easing of American sanctions on Cuba. But the day also brought the last of the Cuban Five home from American prisons. Their story, overshadowed by ongoing diplomatic issues with the two nations, is fully explored by writer and journalist Morais (Paulo Coelho). Previously published in both Brazil and Cuba, the book follows 14 members of the Wasp Network, 12 men and two women who operated as Cuban spies infiltrating anti-Castro organizations in south Florida. The group was active in espionage after 1992 and five members were brought to trial in 1998. They began serving various federal prison sentences in 2000 and the last three were finally freed in exchange for American contractor Alan Gross after December 17. Much of the time the book reads like a spy novel complete with accounts of anti-Castro operatives in Cuba, whose story has yet to be told. VERDICT Morais is to be applauded for bringing the full story to light after years of interviews and research. This work stands alone in the continuing saga of Cuban-American history, past and present.-Boyd Childress, formerly with Auburn Univ. Libs., AL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Jimmy Carter and Bill ClintonRican Manuel ViramóntezRené González

1 Veteran of the Angolan War, René Steals a Plane in Cuba, Lands in Miami and Receives a Hero's Welcome	p. 1
2 A MiG Commander Swims Seven Hours Across the Shark-Infested Guantánamo Bay. Arriving at a US Naval Airbase, He Emerges From the Sea Shouting: "I'm a Cuban Officer, I'm Defecting!"	p. 15
3 Overnight, 130,000 People Flee Cuba for the United States and Defeat	p. 31
4 The Cuban Gerardo Hernández Abandons His Diplomatic Career, Changes Identity and Lands in Miami as the Puerto	p. 51
5 By the Middle of 1995 the Cuban "Wasp Network" Has Thirteen Secret Agents in Anti-Castroist Organizations. But the FBI is Already Watching Them	p. 69
6 Love Attacks the Secret Agents: Tony Marries Maggie and René Manages to Bring Olga and His Daughter to Miami	p. 83
7 José Basulto Defies the White House and the Cuban MiGs and Decides to Fly Once More Over Havana	p. 99
8 The Cuban Control Tower Authorizes the MiG Fighters to Shoot: Seconds Later, Two Cessnas Are Reduced to Dust Over the Florida Straits	p. 115
9 The Mercenary Cruz León Didn't Want to Kill Anyone. His Dream Was to Be Just Like Sylvester Stallone	p. 131
10 For $7,500, the Salvadoran Returns to Cuba to Plant Another Five Bombs in Hotels and Restaurants	p. 147
11 The Cuban Intelligence Services Set Two Traps, but Fail to Catch Big Paunch, the Recruiter of Mercenaries Hired by Miami	p. 169
12 Fidel Castro Sends Bill Clinton a Letter With Accusations Against the Extreme Right-Wing Florida Organizations. The Carrier Pigeon Is Nobel Prize Winner Gabriel Garcia Márquez	p. 185
13 Six FBI Agents Arrive Secretly in Havana and Return to the United States With a Crate Full of Reports on the Florida Organizations Produced by Order of Fidel Castro	p. 199
14 A Portrait of Cuban Miami: The Militant Anti-Castroist Rodolfo Frómeta, the Pro-Cuban Journalist Max Lesnik and the Marxist Writer Norberto Fuentes	p. 221
15 Leonard Weinglass, Attorney to Jane Fonda, Angela Davis and the Black Panthers, Joins the Defense of the Cuban Five, but for Them the Die Had Already Been Cast	p. 237
Afterword	p. 253
Epilogue	p. 263
Acknowledgments	p. 267
List of Interviewees	p. 269
Bibliography	p. 271

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

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