Soldiers of misfortune

Soldiers of misfortune

by James D. Sanders

Browse books you can read free on Readfeed

No club is reading this yet — be the first to start one

Start a club free
About
Soldiers of Misfortune is the outrageous and compelling story of thousands of American POWs held captive by the Soviet Union and of the U.S. government officials who lied about their fate for half-a-century, keeping a lid on the most disgraceful cover-up in American history. Soldiers of Misfortune reveals for the first time that top U.S. officials, from Roosevelt to Bush, made the determination to write off America's missing sons, secretly held hostage in the Soviet. Union. In an explosive revelation, Colonel Philip Corso, an intelligence aide to President Dwight Eisenhower, revealed exclusively to the authors that the president personally made the decision to abandon hundreds, perhaps thousands, of U.S. POWs from the Korean War. More than six years ago, Jim Sanders began his lonely quest for the truth about American POWs "liberated" by Soviet troops in Germany and Eastern Europe near the end of World War II. Then Mark Sauter and R. Cort Kirkwood joined in the search - sifting through thousands of formerly classified documents, interviewing military brass and escapees from Russia, and evaluating chilling eyewitness accounts. As the authors neared the truth, top level Pentagon officials attempted to "neutralize" and silence them in a desperate attempt to bury the truth from the public. At the same time a newspaper office and Sanders's car were surreptitiously entered, his apartment ransacked and. Crucial documents stolen. A secret covenant of the 1945 Yalta agreement provided that the U.S. and Britain would return Soviet citizens residing in the West. In exchange, Stalin promised to return Western soldiers who had been liberated by the Red Army. After the war, American and British authorities breached that agreement by secretly permitting Soviets to remain in the West. Stalin learned about the deception and retaliated by holding 23,500 American and 30,000 British. And Commonwealth soldiers captive in the vast Soviet gulag system. The authors trace the fate of American POWs from the Korean, Vietnam and Cold wars. In the early years of the Cold War, American soldiers and civilians were kidnapped off the streets of Europe and taken to the Soviet Union where they were interrogated and brainwashed, later disappearing into the gulag. Hundreds of Korean War POWs were transferred to China and the Soviet Union during that war. Despite. Countless denials by American officials, the authors provide new evidence that Vietnam War MIAs were smuggled out of the Asian jungles and taken to live out their lives in Siberian exile. Soldiers of Misfortune turns history upside down - it documents that every president since World War II has lied to the American people about the fate of its fighting men. This book leaves only one unanswered question: How many Americans are still alive in Russia, China and North. Korea?

Discussion questions for Soldiers of misfortune

Bring these to your book club — or discuss them with readers on Readfeed.

  1. 1

    How does the realization that American POWs were allegedly used as geopolitical leverage change your understanding of Cold War history and the traditional narrative of U.S. foreign policy?

  2. 2

    In what ways does the book highlight the tension between national security, state secrecy, and the moral obligation a government owes to its individual soldiers?

  3. 3

    If you discovered that an institution you trusted had concealed a profound injustice for decades, how would it affect your relationship with authority and official history?

Discuss Soldiers of misfortune with other readers

Join or start a book club for Soldiers of misfortune on Readfeed. Live chat, shared reading progress, and AI discussion questions — free to get started.

Frequently asked questions

How do I join a book club for Soldiers of misfortune?

Sign up free on Readfeed, then browse public clubs or start your own club with Soldiers of misfortune as the current read. Invite friends with a share link and discuss together with live chat and AI discussion questions.

Can I discuss Soldiers of misfortune with other readers online?

Yes. Readfeed book clubs let you chat live, share progress, and join discussions about Soldiers of misfortune with readers worldwide — whether your club is virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Is Readfeed free?

Yes. Creating an account and joining book clubs is free. Sign up to find readers who love the same books and start discussing today.