Nuking the Moon - And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the

The International Spy Museum's Historian takes us on a wild tour of missions and schemes that almost happened, but were ultimately deemed too dangerous, expensive, ahead of their time, or even certifiably insane "Compulsively readable laugh out loud history."-Mary Roach In 1958, the U.S. Air Force nuked the moon as a show of military force. In 1967, the CIA sent live cats to spy on the Soviet government. In 1942, the British built a torpedo-proof aircraft carrier out of an iceberg. Of course, none of these things ever actually happened. But in Nuking the Moon , intelligence historian Vince Houghton proves that abandoned plans can be just as illuminating--and every bit as entertaining--as the ones that made it. Vividly capturing the fascinating stories of how twenty-one plans from WWII and the Cold War went from conception, planning, and testing to cancellation, Houghton explores what happens when innovation meets desperation: For every plan as good as D-Day, there's a scheme to strap bombs to bats or dig a spy tunnel underneath the Soviet embassy. Along the way, he reveals what each one tells us about twentieth-century history, the art of spycraft, military strategy, and famous figures like JFK, Castro, and Churchill. By turns terrifying and hilarious--but always riveting--this is the unique story of history left on the drawing board.

Product details

• Authors: Vince Houghton
• Publisher: Penguin Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.05.2020
• EAN: 9780143133407
• ISBN: 978-0-14-313340-7
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 209 mm x 19 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Intelligence & Espionage, 20th Century, HISTORY / World, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Military Science, General & world history, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Second World War, Espionage & secret services, General and world history, Espionage and secret services, c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), Military engineering, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General