From Las Vegas, Mount Charleston looks like little more than a giant gravel mound in the distance, towering 11,916 feet above the neon lights of the entertainment capital of the world. Only a fraction of the nearly 40 million people who visit this 24-hour city ever bother to look west and skyward toward the mountain.The truth is that this very mountain is a silent memorial to fourteen men who died there in a plane crash on November 17, 1955; men who were part of the secret development of the U-2 spy plane, integral to America's success in the Cold War. The United States government was so determined to keep their mission a secret that it lied to the families of the victims, sealed the crash records and even rigged the site with explosives in an effort to obliterate any remnants of their existence.If it weren't for the curiosity of one visitor, the national secret that haunted the mountainside might never have been revealed. In these pages, finally, the story is told.
"Animals have always served alongside soldiers and many have shown outstanding courage in action, going beyond the bounds of training and duty to display selfless displays of devotion."--Cover
The Cold War was the longest war in United States history. Because of the nuclear capabilities of our enemy, it was the most dangerous conflict our country ever faced. Those that won this war did so in obscurity. Those that gave their lives in the Cold War have never been properly honored.- Senator Harry ReidSilent Heroes is a stark reminder to the realities of life for those who choose to serve our country in secret covert operations. Countless families have paid this price. It reminds each of us of a debt we owe to men and women for whom we will never know. These are the Silent Heroes of the Cold War.- Francis Gary Powers, Jr., Founder, The Cold War Museum, www.coldwar.orgLittle is known of the CIA's heaviest loss of life in a single aviation incident during the Cold War. The story of the C-54 crash on Mt. Charleston in Nevada is one of many about the heroes of the Cold War, the men and women working at Area 51 and their families, who accepted not knowing where they were or what they were doing. This well written account is typical of the times and sacrifices made to win the Cold War. It emphasizes the need to get these stories told and the challenges facing common citizens inspired to investigate and record the legacy of such heroes.- T. D. Barnes, President, Roadrunners Internationaleand former Special Projects Team, Area 51Ky Plaskon's meticulously researched and deftly chronicled account is a fitting tribute to the thousands of men and women who have toiled in obscurity and secrecy, under restrictions so harsh that they were unable to tell their own families what they did or where they worked. Their sacrifices allowed the rest of us to sleep each night under an unseen umbrella of security and freedom. Today, the name Area 51, aka Dreamland, aka Watertown, The Box, The Ranch, and other less exotic monikers, is known all over the world as a place of mystery and wonder and technological marvels. In reality, it is blistering, sun-baked hellhole in the middle of nowhere, a windblown dust bucket that has been blanketed by radiation, poisoned by toxic fumes, and enveloped by a blanket of secrecy so intense that the very existence of the place has been denied by our government for more than 50 years. Plaskon's book provides a unique glimpse into the character of those who served and into the extraordinary lengths that have been taken to keep the rest of us from finding out what they did on our behalf.- George Knapp, Investigative Reporter, KLAS Channel 8 News
Author Hans Moederzoon van Kuilenburg was a 10-year-old girl living in Amsterdam when German soldiers invaded Holland in the spring of 1940. The Dutch had intended to stay neutral at the outbreak of the war, as their military was no match for the Nazi hordes. Within five days, Holland had fallen and the German occupation was underway. The five ensuing years were among the darkest chapters in Dutch history, culminating in the "hunger winter" of 1944, during which 30,000 Dutch citizens died of hunger and cold. Even today, people like the author, who grew up during that time, are more prone to heart attacks as a result of the physical stress of those years. But despite having capitulated so quickly in the face of the overwhelming might of the German war machine, there were many heroes in Holland during the occupation; people like the author's father, a civilian supervisor of marine supplies, who robbed the Germans blind and gave stolen food and clothing to Dutch people in need. Eventually his activities attracted the attention of the German authorities and he was imprisoned. Thankfully Hans' mother was able to stage a dramatic escape with the help of the family doctor. The Silent Heroes is a true story of heroism, survival and resistance during a time of fear, despair, and hardship. Hans Moederzoon van Kuilenburg was born in Amsterdam and immigrated to the U.S. in 1959. She had a distinguished career as a medical assistant before retiring. In addition to writing, she also does photography and sometimes exhibits her work. The Silent Heroes is her first book. Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/HansMoederzoonVanKuilenburg
The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 took the American military by surprise. Rushing to respond, the US and its allies developed a selective overflight program to gather intelligence. Silent Warriors, Incredible Courage is a history of the Cold War overflights of the Soviet Union, its allies, and the People's Republic of China, based on extensive interviews with dozens of pilots who flew these dangerous missions. In 1954 the number of flights expanded, and the highly classified SENSINT program was born. Soon, American RB-45C, RB-47E/H, RF-100s, and various versions of the RB-57 were in the air on an almost constant basis, providing the president and military leadership with hard facts about enemy capabilities and intentions. Eventually the SENSINT program was replaced by the high-flying U-2 spy plane. The U-2 overflights removed the mysteries of Soviet military power. These flights remained active until 1960 when a U-2 was shot down by Russian missiles, leading to the end of the program. Shortly thereafter planes were replaced by spy satellites. The overflights were so highly classified that no one, planner or participant, was allowed to talk about them—and no one did, until the overflight program and its pictorial record was declassified in the 1990s. Through extensive research of existing literature on the overflights and interviews conducted by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, this book reveals the story of the entire overflight program through the eyes of the pilots and crew who flew the planes. Samuel's account tells the stories of American heroes who risked their lives—and sometimes lost them—to protect their country.
Presenting a fascinating insider's view of U.S.A.F. special operations, this volume brings to life the critical contributions these forces have made to the exercise of air & space power. Focusing in particular on the period between the Korean War & the Indochina wars of 1950-1979, the accounts of numerous missions are profusely illustrated with photos & maps. Includes a discussion of AF operations in Europe during WWII, as well as profiles of Air Commandos who performed above & beyond the call of duty. Reflects on the need for financial & political support for restoration of the forces. Bibliography. Extensive photos & maps. Charts & tables.
In the early years of World War II, it was an amazing feat for an Allied airman shot down over occupied Europe to make it back to England. By 1943, however, pilots and crewmembers, supplied with "escape kits," knew they had a 50 percent chance of evading capture and returning home. An estimated 12,000 French civilians helped make this possible. More than 5,000 airmen, many of them American, successfully traveled along escape lines organized much like those of the U.S. Underground Railroad, using secret codes and stopping in safe houses. If caught, they risked internment in a POW camp. But the French, Belgian, and Dutch civilians who aided them risked torture and even death. Sherri Ottis writes candidly about the pilots and crewmen who walked out of occupied Europe, as well as the British intelligence agency in charge of Escape and Evasion. But her main focus is on the helpers, those patriots who have been all but ignored in English-language books and journals. To research their stories, Ottis hiked the Pyrenees and interviewed many of the survivors. She tells of the extreme difficulty they had in avoiding Nazi infiltration by double agents; of their creativity in hiding evaders in their homes, sometimes in the midst of unexpected searches; of their generosity in sharing their meager food supplies during wartime; and of their unflagging spirit and courage in the face of a war fought on a very personal level.
Near the end of the Apollo 15 mission, David Scott and fellow moonwalker James Irwin conducted a secret ceremony unsanctioned by NASA: they placed on the lunar soil a small tin figurine called The Fallen Astronaut, along with a plaque bearing a list of names. By telling the stories of those sixteen astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the quest to reach the moon between 1962 and 1972, this book enriches the saga of humankind’s greatest scientific undertaking, Project Apollo, and conveys the human cost of the space race. Many people are aware of the first manned Apollo mission, in which Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee lost their lives in a fire during a ground test, but few know of the other five fallen astronauts whose stories this book tells as well, including Ted Freeman and C.C. Williams, who died in the crashes of their T-38 jets; the “Gemini Twins,” Charlie Bassett and Elliot See, killed when their jet slammed into the building where their Gemini capsule was undergoing final construction; and Ed Givens, whose fatal car crash has until now been obscured by rumors. Supported by extensive interviews and archival material, the extraordinary lives and accomplishments of these and other fallen astronauts—including eight Russian cosmonauts who lost their lives during training—unfold here in intimate and compelling detail. Their stories return us to a stirring time in the history of our nation and remind us of the cost of fulfilling our dreams. This revised edition includes expanded and revised biographies and additional photographs.
John le Carré and the Cold War explores the historical contexts and political implications of le Carré's major Cold-War novels. The first in-depth study of le Carré this century, this book analyses his work in light of key topics in 20th-century history, including containment of Communism, decolonization, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban missile crisis, the Cambridge spy-ring, the Vietnam War, the 70s oil crisis and Thatcherism. Examining The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), Smiley's People (1979) and other novels, this book offers an illuminating picture of Cold-War Britain, while situating le Carré's work alongside that of George Orwell, Graham Greene and Ian Fleming. Providing a valuable contribution to contemporary understandings of both British spy fiction and post-war fiction, Toby Manning challenges the critical consensus to reveal a considerably less radical writer than is conventionally presented.
“Here’s a book that would've split the sides of Thucydides. Wiener’s magical mystery tour of Cold War museums is simultaneously hilarious and the best thing ever written on public history and its contestation.“ —Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz “Jon Wiener, an astute observer of how history is perceived by the general public, shows us how official efforts to shape popular memory of the Cold War have failed. His journey across America to visit exhibits, monuments, and other historical sites, demonstrates how quickly the Cold War has faded from popular consciousness. A fascinating and entertaining book.” —Eric Foner, author of Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877 "In How We Forgot the Cold War, Jon Wiener shows how conservatives tried—and failed—to commemorate the Cold War as a noble victory over the global forces of tyranny, a 'good war' akin to World War II. Displaying splendid skills as a reporter in addition to his discerning eye as a scholar, this historian's travelogue convincingly shows how the right sought to extend its preferred policy of 'rollback' to the arena of public memory. In a country where historical memory has become an obsession, Wiener’s ability to document the ambiguities and absences in these commemorations is an unusual accomplishment.” —Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America “In this terrific piece of scholarly journalism, Jon Wiener imaginatively combines scholarship on the Cold War, contemporary journalism, and his own observations of various sites commemorating the era to describe both what they contain and, just as importantly, what they do not. By interrogating the standard conservative brand of American triumphalism, Wiener offers an interpretation of the Cold War that emphasizes just how unnecessary the conflict was and how deleterious its aftereffects have really been.”—Ellen Schrecker, author of Many Are The Crimes: McCarthyism in America
