cover image The Closest of Enemies: A Personal and Diplomatic Account of U.S.-Cuban Relations Since 1957

The Closest of Enemies: A Personal and Diplomatic Account of U.S.-Cuban Relations Since 1957

Wayne S. Smith. W. W. Norton & Company, $19.95 (308pp) ISBN 978-0-393-02361-9

Smith argues that no U.S. administration since 1961 has dealt effectively or even sensibly with Cuba. As an officer at the U.S. embassy in Havana in the late '50s and early '60s who later became chief of the U.S. Interests Section there, his views are informed by experience. The book is a forceful account of Smith's growing dismay and finally his outright disgust over U.S. policy in Cuba. His harshest words are reserved for the Reagan administration, which he accuses of gross misrepresentation regarding not only Cuba's willingness to open discussions on various issues but also that country's military involvement in Nicaragua. Experiencing ""one disillusionment too many,'' Smith resigned from his post in 1982. And since then, he charges, the administration has continued to sidestep every overture made by the Cubans. (February 16)