Revolution in Zanzibar: An American's Cold War Tale

From Library Journal
Now a seasoned Foreign Service officer, Petterson (Inside Sudan) began his career in Zanzibar from 1963 to 1965. During this extremely tumultuous time the island became independent of Great Britain, experienced a coup d'etat, undertook a Marxist path, switched to the nonaligned movement, expelled two U.S. Chiefs of Mission, agreed to unite with Tanganyika, and worked to find its proper place in the balance of world powers. Recent memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy assassination made Washington officials very worried about rumors of Cuba-trained agents behind the revolution and new government. During part of the early 1964 revolution, the author was the only American diplomat to remain on post, representing the concerns of Washington to the competing factions and looking after property, including a NASA tracking station, left empty when Americans were evacuated. The literature on this revolution is quite sparse; this eyewitness account will add to understanding it. The lively and engaging writing style holds the reader's interest throughout and conveys much of the uncertain nature of diplomacy at a remote post during turbulent times. Recommended for most collections. Marcia L. Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New YorkCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Petterson, a U.S. career service officer, takes the reader on a journey of cold war conflict, independence struggle, and revolution. His initial foreign post assignment was Zanzibar, an island nation off the east coast of Africa, in the period from 1964-1966, when the nation was transforming itself from British colonial status. Yet for the majority of Zanzibaris of black African descent, independence apparently had little significance. The ruling elite was predominantly Arab, with East Asians playing a substantial if not dominant commercial role. The resulting revolution, bloody and efficient, manifested without anticipation by Britain or the U.S. Petterson's baptism in the U.S. diplomatic corps initially thrust him into the temporary role of sole representative at the American consulate during the revolutionary period and once again some three years later when his supervisor was forced off the island, suspected of espionage. It was the interim period that proves a rich insight into the super power cold war conflict and the tensions associated with maintaining a posture of nonalliance during a period of rising African nationalism. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


African Studies Review
"A welcome addition to the small body of literature about Zanzibar."


Foreign Affairs
"Spiced with many instructive anecdotes about diplomatic life, this could be useful reading on several levels for Foreign Service trainees."


Book Description
The Cold War exploded in Zanzibar in 1964 when African rebels slaughtered one of every ten Arabs. Led by a strange, messianic Ugandan, Cuban-trained factions headed the rebels, making Zanzibar (in the eyes of Washington) a potentially cancerous base for the communist subversion of mainland Africa. Exotic Zanzibar - fabled island of spices, former slave-trading entrep™t, and stepping-off point for 19th century expeditions into the vast interior of the Dark Continent - had succumbed to the terror of 20th century revolution and Cold War intrigue. In the vivid, eyewitness tradition of The Bang Bang Club and The Skull beneath the Skin, Donald Petterson weaves an engrossing tale of human drama played out against a background of violence and horror. As the only American in Zanzibar throughout the revolution, Petterson reports with the inside authority of a highly placed diplomatic observer, illuminating how the current troubles in Zanzibar are rooted in the Cold War and the revolution of 1964.


About the Author
In thirty-five years with the Foreign Service, Donald Petterson has served as U.S. ambassador to Sudan, Somalia, and Tanzania. After his retirement in 1995, he was called back into the Foreign Service to take over the US embassy in Liberia. His previous books include Inside Sudan: Political Islam, Conflict, and Catastrophe. He lives in New Hampshire.


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Author Biography: In thirty-five years with the Foreign Service, Donald Petterson has served as U.S. ambassador to Sudan, Somalia, and Tanzania. After his retirement in 1995, he was called back into the Foreign Service to take over the US embassy in Liberia. His previous books include Inside Sudan: Political Islam, Conflict, and Catastrophe. He lives in New Hampshire.


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