The Tango War

"Dazzling! Provides a highly unusual look at World War II Entertaining, original, and scholarly." ―Stephen Kinzer, Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs, the Watson Institute, author of The True Flag and The Brothers

"For anyone interested in World War II, Latin America, or just plain good old-fashioned stories, really well told, this is a fascinating read." ―Jon Lee Anderson, Staff Writer, The New Yorker, author The Lion’s Grave and Che Guevara

"No journalist is better suited than McConahay to plumb the hidden stories of Latin America’s involvement." ―Jake Bernstein, Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, author of Secrecy World

"It takes two to tango, but only one like McConahay can capture the nuance and essence of this dramatic face-off." ―W. George Lovell, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Professor of Geography, Queen’s University, Canada, author of A Beauty That Hurts: Life and Death in Guatemala


Kirkus: Starred Review

Publishers’ Weekly: Starred Review

"If you think the history of World War II in Latin America is just about Nazi spies, you are in for a surprise. Whether the subject is a rubber crusade in Brazil, Disney cartoon goodwill campaigns, the forced exile of Peruvian Japanese to U.S. internment camps or yes, spies, this book combines the best of historical research and journalistic story telling. A must-read." ―June Carolyn Erlick, Editor-in-Chief of ReVista, The Harvard Review of Latin America, author of A Gringa in Bogota

"Important and compelling...”―Marc Becker, Professor of History, Truman State University, author of The FBI in Latin America

"An instant classic " ―Peter Eisner, author of MacArthur's Spies

"Provides a new perspective on a crucial era.”―Juanita Darling, Professor of International Relations, San Francisco State University, author of Latin America, Media and Revolution