CRY SABOTAGE!

by Burke Wilkinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 27, 1972

The Maine is blown up, the Reichstag fired, a fellow named Lawrence leads some Arab commandos against the. Turks and Michael Collins of the Irish Free State is ambushed and killed by some die-hard IRA men. But it's possible to read all these unevenly dramatic accounts (excerpted, for the most part, from first-hand sources) without ever understanding the underlying causes of the acts and, in some cases, without knowing definitely who the perpetrators were. Wilkinson has dug up some truly amazing incidents -- such as the plan, attributed to Mrs. Roosevelt, of releasing time-bomb-carrying bats over Japanese cities. However, few of the participants tell their stories with the aplomb of, say, German agent Von Rintelen. Wilkinson's sketchy notes fail to provide narrative continuity and adopt very narrow historical focus (for no clear reason, the Green Berets are presented as heroes and the IRA as fanatics, while Germans seem to be for the most part as morally neutral). This is the same confusing assemblage of potentially volatile material that made Cry Spy! (1969) all but inaccessible, except to the most dedicated espionage mavens.

Pub Date: Nov. 27, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bradbury

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION