Unknown to the public and cloaked in the utmost secrecy, the United States flew missions against the Communist bloc almost continually during the Cold War in a desperate effort to collect intelligence and find targets for all-out nuclear war. The only hint of the relentless, clandestine operations came when one of the planes was shot down. Many of the air force and navy flyers were killed on top secret missions. But now, for the first time, award winning historian William E Burrows, shows that others were captured by the ...
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Unknown to the public and cloaked in the utmost secrecy, the United States flew missions against the Communist bloc almost continually during the Cold War in a desperate effort to collect intelligence and find targets for all-out nuclear war. The only hint of the relentless, clandestine operations came when one of the planes was shot down. Many of the air force and navy flyers were killed on top secret missions. But now, for the first time, award winning historian William E Burrows, shows that others were captured by the Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, and were tortured, imprisoned, and killed, while their loved ones grieved and their government looked the other way. In an effort to improve relations with Russia, Washington is still looking the other way, though it pretends otherwise. Burrows has interviews scores of men who flew these 'black' missions, as well as the widows and children of those who never returned, all of whom want the full story finally told. He has done so with an eye to this story's immensely human dimension. "By Any Means Necessary" is not about aeroplanes but about the people who've sacrificed their lives in the interest of national security.
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The writing is excellent, the author is reknowned. My only problem with it is it does not strictly follow a time line but jumps around and it's hard to recall events in later chapters. I appreicate his efforts to recognize the sacrifices of the families of the warriors.
