Covert City, Vince Houghton
Covert City, Vince Houghton
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Covert City
The Cold War and the Making of Miami

Author: Vince Houghton, Eric Driggs

Narrator: Eric Driggs, Vince Houghton

Unabridged: 8 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 04/23/2024


Synopsis

Secret operations, corruption, crime, and a city teeming with spies: why Miami was as crucial to winning the Cold War as Washington DC or Moscow.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was perhaps the most dramatic and dangerous period of the Cold War. What's less well known is that the city of Miami, mere miles away, was a pivotal, though less well known, part of Cold War history. With its population of Communist exiles from Cuba, its strategic value for military operations, and its lax business laws, Miami was an ideal environment for espionage.

Covert City tells the history of how the entire city of Miami was constructed in the image of the US-Cuba rivalry. From the Bay of Pigs invasion to the death of Fidel Castro, the book shows how Miami is a hub for money and cocaine but also secrets and ideologies. Cuban exiles built criminal and political organizations in the city, leading Washington to set up a CIA station there, codenamed JMWAVE. It monitored gang activities, plotted secret operations against Castro, and became a base for surveilling Latin American neighbors. The money and infrastructure built for the CIA was integral to the development of Miami.

Covert City is a sweeping and entertaining history, full of stunning experimental operations and colorful characters--a story of a place like no other.

Author Bio

Vincent Houghton, PhD, is the historian and curator of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. A veteran of the United States Army, he has written and appears as an expert for various media, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Associated Press, USA Today, The Economist, Vanity Fair, NPR, BBC, NBC News, Fox News, the History Channel, and the Travel Channel.

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