by Thomas D. Schoonover
Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 2008. Pp. xxiv, 218.
Illus., notes, biblio., index. $29.95. ISBN:0813125014
In Hitler's Man in Havana, Prof. Schoonover, author of quite a number of books and articles on Latin American history, tells several stories, all interwoven. He addresses the largely untold tale of Axis espionage and ambition in
Latin America
, real if limited, the
U.S.
's efforts to counter those efforts, and use them to increase its influence in the region, and how these were affected by and affected Latin American local politics and nationalism.
And then there's Heinz Lüning, a most inept and unfortunate spy, whom Schoonover uses as the lens through which he examines these varied stories.
Each of the stories is interesting in its own right, and the book will certainly inform, and perhaps amuse, students of espionage and covert activities, Latin American history, and World War II.