
Covert City
The Cold War and the Making of Miami
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Narrated by:
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Eric Driggs
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Vince Houghton
About this listen
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.
©2024 Vince Houghton and Eric Driggs (P)2024 PublicAffairsListeners also enjoyed...
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Entertaining history to understand Cuban exiles
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A good overview about Miami history
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The final chapter
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List to this
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A fun and interesting telling of Miami’s historical relevance and place in the world.
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American Propaganda
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Ruined the ending with unnecessary anti Trump comments
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