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The Raid
The Raid
Author: Benjamin F. Schemmer
Minutes after 2 A.M. on November 21, 1970, more than one hundred U.S. war planes shattered the dark calm of the skies over Hanoi. Their mission: rescue sixty-one American POWs from Son Tay prison. Less than thirty minutes later, the raid was over, but no Americans had been rescued. The prisoners had been moved from Son Tay four and a half mon...  more »Replete with fascinating insights into the workings of high-level intelligence and military command, The Raid is Benjamin Schemmer’s unvarnished account of the courageous mission that was quickly labeled an intelligence failure by Congress and a Pentagon blunder by the world press. Determined to ferret out the truth, Schemmer uncovers one of the CIA’s most carefully guarded secrets. From the planning and live-fire rehearsals to the explosive reactions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff watching the drama unfold to the aftermath as the White House and Pentagon struggled for damage control, Schemmer tackles the tough questions. What really happened during the twenty-seven minutes the raiders spent on the ground? Did the CIA know the whole time that the Americans were gone? Had the Agency in fact been responsible for the POWs being moved? And perhaps most intriguing, why was the rescue—though it never freed a single prisoner—not a failure after all?
ISBN-13: 9780380699421
ISBN-10: 0380699427
Publication Date: 8/1986
Edition: Reissue
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 3
3.7 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Avon Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
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 reviewed The Raid on + 27 more book reviews
From New York Times Book Review: "An engrossing, detailed, and often hilarious autopsy of a classic military snafu."

Christian Science Monitor: "Jam-packed with dashing heroics, intrigue, and adventure."
reviewed The Raid on + 10 more book reviews
I found it to be an interesting behind the scenes story of of the Son Tay prison rescue mission. It shows how even important intel and a worthwhile mission can take months and months to bubble up through the military and political morass.


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