Act of War: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the Capture of the Spy Ship Audiobook

Quotes

• “Sweeping in its power and importance as a historical document and absolutely riveting in its personal stories of sacrifice and heroism, Act of War is the best kind of narrative nonfiction. From the halls of power in Washington to the heaving seas of the Pacific and to the cold, stark torture rooms of Pyongyang, this book leaves no stone unturned. This is a masterwork by Jack Cheevers. I devoured Act of War the way I did Flyboys, Flags of our Fathers, and Lost in Shangri-la.”

  — Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

• “A riveting, superbly-researched, and revealing account of a Cold War clash at sea between the United States and North Korea—and of the courageous captain of the Pueblo, who stood up both to his brutal captors and to the Navy brass who tried to make him a scapegoat to cover up their own failures.”

  — David Wise, New York Times bestselling author

• “Cheevers skillfully brings to life one of the most dramatic events of the Cold War, a story of torture, imprisonment, secret negotiations, and White House deal-making. Today, the Pueblo remains the only commissioned US ship on display as a war trophy by a foreign government. Act of War sheds new light on how that happened, and at the same time it shows how quickly espionage, and miscalculation, can lead to all-out war.”

  — James Bamford, New York Times bestselling author

• “Cheevers (former political reporter, Los Angeles Times) paints a vivid picture of the harrowing experiences the sailors faced before, during, and after their stint in a North Korean prison…The author’s access to personal interviews, large amounts of government documents, as well as news reports on the incident, allows readers to experience this event from the Pueblo’s viewpoint and beyond. Readers who appreciate intense accounts of survival against difficult circumstances will find this book enthralling.”

  — Library Journal (starred review)

• “An outstanding and necessary recounting of an affair that should remind us how dangerous the regime of North Korea remains.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “Journalist Cheevers combines interviews with recently released government documents to tell the story of a slipshod operation that nearly led to the crew’s execution and a return to war footing with Korea…Cheever’s account of ‘false assumptions, negligent planning...excessive risk taking’ is a useful reminder in today’s world of surveillance and diplomatic brinksmanship.”

  — Publishers Weekly

• “Readers who assume that North Korea’s reputation as an international nut case is a recent development must read this painful account of its 1968 seizure of the USS Pueblo and abuse of its crew…Although the crew behaved reasonably well under terrible conditions, this is a story where dimwits and villains dominate, and Cheevers does a fine job of rescuing from obscurity a painful Cold War debacle.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

• “Jack Cheevers is not only a terrific researcher but a master storyteller. Act of War reads like a Cold War thriller—I couldn’t put it down.”

  — James Scott, award-winning author of The War Below

• “With vivid clarity, Cheevers tells the amazing story of the capture of the Pueblo and its crew—one of many dangerous showdowns between North Korea and the US. A fascinating, well-rendered account of a little known episode in the ongoing conflict on the Korean peninsula.”

  — Sheila Miyoshi Jager, author of Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea

• “A fitting tribute to the Pueblo crew, a timely reminder of the nature of the North Korean regime (now developing nuclear weapons), and, not least, a great read.”

  — Jack F. Matlock, Jr., US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1987-91, and author of Reagan and Gorbachev

• “Using a trove of declassified CIA materials and interviews, Cheevers provides a valuable new addition to our understanding of what happened in January 1968 when the North Koreans attacked and captured the USS Pueblo.”

  — Larry Berman, author of Zumwalt: The Life and Times of Admiral Elmo Russell “Bud” Zumwalt, Jr.