You might not be able to make it to Miami for Spring Break this year, but you can do the next best thing and take a deep dive into the secret operations, corruption, crime, and spies that made Miami a Cold War hot spot 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 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. Join the co-authors of the new book Covert City: The Cold War and the Making of Miami, Vince Houghton and Eric Driggs for a conversation exploring Miami as a hub for not just money and cocaine, but also secrets and ideologies. Houghton, the Director of the National Cryptologic Museum at the National Security Agency, and Driggs, who is a congressional liaison for US Southern Command are both Miami natives who come at this story with skin in the game. They’ll lead you through the myriad ways that intelligence was integral to the development of Miami — who says you can’t get a great tan and plot against Castro at the same time?
Covert City will be available for sale and signing after the conversation.
