Synopses & Reviews
This groundbreaking story is told through Bernardo Benes—a lawyer who joined the refugee exodus from Castro's Cuba in 1960. Benes quickly became one of the leading voices advocating the integration of Cubans into the city's Anglo, old-boy power structure. In 1978, Cuban Intelligence recruited him as an emissary between the Carter administration and Cuba. He did the same for the CIA under Reagan in the early 1980s. In all, Benes made seventy-five secret trips to meet with high-ranking Cuban officials, spending about 150 hours face-to-face with Fidel Castro. The 1978 dialogue resulted in the release of 3,600 Cuban political prisoners and the right for Cuban exiles to visit family members on the island.
Review
"Secret Missions to Cuba is a detailed and valuable contribution to any understanding of the politics and personalities of the Cuban exile in Miami--and of how those politics and personalities affected events from the early years of the exile through the dramas of Elian Gonzalez and the 2000 presidential election." (Joan Didion)
Review
“Levines detailed and extensive reporting should stand as a valuable contribution to 20th century history.”—Miami Today
“...this book is a masterpiece of history and reporting which fleshes out one of the great human dramas of our time. Fascinating!”—Edna Buchanan, Pulitzer Prize Winner for General Reporting
Synopsis
In 1960 Bernardo Benes, a lawyer, fled his home in Cuba. Quickly making a name for himself in Miami, he became a leading advocate for exile causes in South Florida. Making 75 secret trips to Cuba--where he met with Castro for Presidents Carter and Reagan--Benes reunited divided families and was the catalyst behind Castro's release of thousands of Cuban political prisoners. Despite his extraordinary achievements for Miami's Cuban community, Benes became, and remains, a pariah there. For the first time, hear Benes's story--and read a powerful expose of the power and passions of Cuban Miami.
Synopsis
This groundbreaking book by Latin American specialist Robert M. Levine is about the shaping of American foreign policy, Cuban-American relations, and Americas hidden history with Cuba. For the first time ever, read the full story—and witness the tensions, volatility, and paradoxes inherent to Cuban Miami.
About the Author
Robert M. Levine, Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami, is the author of more than a dozen books on Latin America and Cuba including
Tropical Diaspora and the forthcoming
Cambridge Concise History of Cuba.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Statement on Corroboration
List of Photographs and sources
Beginnings
Cuban Miami
Mission to Havana: The Carter Years
Mission to Havana: The Reagan Years
Revolutionary Justice
Only in Miami
Bibliographic Notes