James B. Donovan and the 1963 Bid to Pry Cuba from Moscow
Kept secret under "Eyes Only" restrictions, a 1963 report details a gamble to exchange prisoners by promising a diplomatic thaw the agency never intended to deliver.
By Desmond Okafor ·
Prisoner Exchange
Beijing Denies American Prisoners a 1955 Release Deadline
American captives were used as diplomatic assets in a semantic game as Beijing secretly refused to set a release deadline during 1955 ambassadorial talks.
By Roy Castellano ·
Beijing Holds American Nationals as Leverage in Geneva Deadlock
American nationals served as currency in a high-stakes deadlock while internal Chinese deliberations remained opaque as Wang Bingnan sought orders for a private dinner in Geneva.
By Roy Castellano ·
Beijing Denied 41 US Prisoners a Secret Release Date
Forty-one US nationals were left without a release date as Beijing tied their freedom to the conduct of each convict and the improvement in Sino-American relations.
By Roy Castellano ·