Eyes on Havana - by Verne Lyon & Philip Zwerling (Paperback)

About the Book

"Verne Lyon was recruited by the CIA to spy on college professors and fellow students as part of Operation CHAOS, a massive surveillance program at the height of the Vietnam War. He was later sent to Cuba to subvert the Castro regime. He tried to quit and landed in Leavenworth. His memoir details his journey through the secret workings of the U.S. government"--

Book Synopsis

An Iowa boy away at college, Verne Lyon was recruited by the CIA to spy on college professors and fellow students as part of Operation CHAOS, a massive surveillance program at the height of the Vietnam War. Framed by his handlers for an airport bombing, he was later sent to Cuba to subvert the Castro regime. Balking at increasingly nefarious missions, he tried to quit: twice kidnapped by the CIA, he landed in Leavenworth. Today a free man, his memoir details his journey through the secret workings of the U.S. government.

Review Quotes

"An extraordinary autobiography of a disastrous relationship between the CIA and the operative they recruited and betrayed. This heart wrenching tale deserves to be read."-David MacMichael, Former USMC Captain and former CIA analyst; "Deeply knowledgeable about America's dark side, Verne Lyon stayed true to his oath of office: to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."-J. Michael Springmann, former U.S. Diplomat in the Reagan and Bush administrations, author of Visas for Al Qaeda; "What happened to Verne Lyon is a true American horror story, one of the CIA's most pitiful episodes and one that deserves to be told."-Jack Ryan, an FBI agent for 22 years; "A riveting story of how the CIA abuses its power and will do anything to anybody with impunity in order to get what it wants."-Peter Janney, author of Mary's Mosaic; "Verne Lyon's story so shocked me that I hoped he would one day make it public."-Yuri Totrov, former KGB counter intelligence officer; "Verne Lyon is passionate about speaking truth to power. This book is of historical value."-James Everett, former CIA Case Officer and author of The Making and Breaking of an American Spy.

About the Author

Verne Lyon is an aerospace engineer, a pilot with many FAA certificates, a SCUBA diver, and former CIA operative. He helped found and direct the Association of Responsible Dissent (ARDIS) and the Association of National Security Alumni, both made up of former national security personnel. He lives in the Midwest. Philip Zwerling, now retired to the Mendocino Coast of California, previously taught creative writing at Ursinus College and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is the author of seven books on film, theater and history.