Why read Back Channel to Cuba?

Book cover of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana

Book description

Challenging the conventional wisdom of perpetual hostility between the United States and Cuba--beyond invasions, covert operations, assassination plots using poison pens and exploding seashells, and a grinding economic embargo--this fascinating book chronicles a surprising, untold history of bilateral efforts toward rapprochement and reconciliation. Since 1959, conflict and aggression have dominated…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Back Channel to Cuba as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Van Gosse

Author

Utterly engrossing, this behind-the-scenes narrative over many decades demonstrates that the Cuban diplomats were almost always willing to move towards normalizing relations, but were repeatedly stymied by non-negotiable demands from the U.S. side. Besides that, it’s full of piquant details, involving the many non-official actors and secret meetings in New York, on the island, or in other countries. Diplomatic history rarely gets this exciting!

From Van's list on The best books about Cuba and the United States.