by Glenn Garvin (Author)

The Reagan administration spent eight years and a vast amount of money backing the Contras in their bid to overthrow the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. Although the Sandinistas eventually were ousted, it was by the ballot box and not the M-16, for by that time the Contras had ceased to be a viable force. What caused their untimely demise? Some of the fault lies with the Contras themselves, but in this account of villainy, courage, incompetence and violent death in a country at war with itself, the author sets out to show that there is blame in Washington, too. Garvin covered the war for six years, often travelling with Contra combat units, and his work was nominated for Pulitzer Prizes in 1988 and 1989. He won the Mencken Award for Investigative Reporting.

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The Reagan administration spent eight years and a quarter of a billion dollars backing the contras in their bid to overthrow the Sandinistas. By the time the Sandinistas were defeated in a general election they themselves had called, the contras were virtually forgotten. The contras had won, but there were no ticker-tape parades. Most people - even those the contras had swept into power - just wanted to forget them. And now, after trying to make the peace work, they are back in the hills rearming. The story of the contras and their strange relationship with their CIA sponsors is one of courage, political intrigue, and general craziness. Pulitzer nominee Glenn Garvin took notes.

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