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Blind over Cuba: The Photo Gap and the Missile Crisis (Volume 11) (Foreign Relations and the Presidency),Used
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In the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, questions persisted about how the potential cataclysm had been allowed to develop. A subsequent congressional investigation focused on what came to be known as the photo gap: five weeks during which intelligencegathering flights over Cuba had been attenuated.In Blind over Cuba, David M. Barrett and Max Holland challenge the popular perception of the Kennedy administrations handling of the Soviet Unions surreptitious deployment of missiles in the Western Hemisphere. Rather than epitomizing it as a masterpiece of crisis management by policy makers and the administration, Barrett and Holland make the case that the affair was, in fact, a close call stemming directly from decisions made in a climate of deep distrust between key administration officials and the intelligence community.Because of White House and State Department fears of another U2 incident (the infamous 1960 Soviet downing of an American U2 spy plane), the CIA was not permitted to send surveillance aircraft on prolonged flights over Cuban airspace for many weeks, from late August through early October. Events proved that this was precisely the time when the Soviets were secretly deploying missiles in Cuba. When Director of Central Intelligence John McCone forcefully pointed out that this decision had led to a dangerous void in intelligence collection, the president authorized one U2 flight directly over western Cubathereby averting disaster, as the surveillance detected the Soviet missiles shortly before they became operational.The Kennedy administration recognized that their failure to gather intelligence was politically explosive, and their subsequent efforts to influence the perception of events form the focus for this study. Using recently declassified documents, secondary materials, and interviews with several key participants, Barrett and Holland weave a story of intraagency conflict, suspicion, and discord that undermined intelligencegathering, adversely affected internal postmortems conducted after the crisis peaked, and resulted in keeping Congress and the public in the dark about what really happened.Fifty years after the crisis that brought the superpowers to the brink, Blind over Cuba: The Photo Gap and the Missile Crisis offers a new chapter in our understanding of that pivotal event, the tensions inside the US government during the cold war, and the obstacles Congress faces when conducting an investigation of the executive branch.
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- Q: What is the main focus of 'Blind over Cuba: The Photo Gap and the Missile Crisis'? A: The book examines the Cuban Missile Crisis, particularly the intelligence failures known as the 'photo gap,' and critiques the Kennedy administration's handling of the situation.
- Q: Who are the authors of this book? A: The authors are David M. Barrett and Max Holland, who provide an analysis of the events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Q: What significant event does this book analyze? A: The book analyzes the Cuban Missile Crisis and the intelligence gaps that occurred during this critical period in history.
- Q: How many pages does the book contain? A: The book contains 240 pages.
- Q: What type of binding does this book have? A: The book is available in hardcover binding.
- Q: When was 'Blind over Cuba' published? A: The book was published on September 1, 2012.
- Q: What condition is the book in? A: The book is in new condition.
- Q: What themes are explored in the book? A: The book explores themes of intra-agency conflict, distrust between officials, and the impact of intelligence failures on national security.
- Q: Is there any supplementary material included with the book? A: The book does not specify any supplementary material but includes insights from declassified documents and interviews.
- Q: What audience would benefit from reading this book? A: Readers interested in Cold War history, U.S. foreign relations, and intelligence operations would find this book particularly valuable.