PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PRESENTS BACK CHANNEL: THE KENNEDY YEARS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR 2012

Back Channel

Join William Bertram MacFarland, author of the memoir, Back Channel: The Kennedy Years, as he virtually tours the blogosphere May 1 – 25 2012 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

ABOUT WILLIAM BERTRAM MACFARLAND

William Bertram MacFarland – Bertie Mac -never sought – or even imagined – a role as a Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Even less did he imagine continuing in the role of Special Assistant to the President in eight subsequent administrations. His degrees from Duke University were in Mathematics and Physics (Quantum Mechanics) but fate and the U.S. government extinguished any hope of a career in those fields.

Eager for adventure and travel, immediately after graduation from university he entered the intelligence arm of the government, did extensive military training, became a U.S. Army Ranger, trained in Special Operations, hand to hand combat techniques, did rigorous advanced parachute training, and went through intensive training in Russian language and culture at the language school in Monterrey, California. Subsequently assigned as a “diplomatic courier” to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, he was callously betrayed by his own government – the government of the United States of America – and turned over to the Soviet Union where he was brutally tortured in Lubyanka Prison at KGB Headquarters in Moscow. He was rescued near the point of death in a clandestine operation carried out by two high ranking Soviet Generals and was entrusted by them with information which became vital to the peaceful resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. His unique value to both sides was his profound distrust of both governments.

He slowly came to be a friend and confidant of President Kennedy in his (unsought) role as Special Assistant to the President and he tried in vain (and disgust) to resign his position when President Kennedy was assassinated but President Johnson would not accept it. The knowledge and “back channel” contacts that he had accumulated – and continued to accumulate as his career progressed – made him uniquely valuable to a long succession of U.S. Presidents. His 50 year access to the highest levels of nine Administrations and the highly classified materials that they generated make him uniquely qualified to relate these riveting and spellbinding memoirs. His reputation as being totally incorruptible is not necessarily a good thing in the halls of power and the only thing that has saved him from assassination by officials in his own government is a vast collection of documents accumulated over the entirety of his career which resides in a safe deposit box in a western European country – the key to which is held by a well known law firm in that country. Should he die under suspicious circumstances, those documents will be released to the public – at a horrific cost to hundreds of individuals and indeed, to the nation as a whole.

He describes himself as “a patriot, a soldier, a spy, and an assassin.” The description does not do him full justice. He was involved in intergovernmental intrigues at the highest levels and as a superbly trained and conditioned special operative he was an amalgam of James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan. He is surely one of the American “cousins” described by John Le Carré. Bertie never sought glory or recognition for his contributions. He did what he did purely from love of country. He is a true American hero – who will forever remain anonymous and in the shadows.

His story can be found in his latest book, Back Channel: The Kennedy Years.

You can visit his impressive website at www.bertiemac.com.

Check out William and his book at the following online locations:

Twitter| Facebook | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Official Tour Page

Back Channel ABOUT BACK CHANNEL: THE KENNEDY YEARS

This the first book of a remarkable memoir of a Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Known familiarly as Bertie Mac, he reported directly to the President and his office was in the West Wing of the White House. Prior to achieving that position, he had been betrayed by his own government – the United States – and handed over to the Soviets. He was tortured in the Lubyanka prison in Moscow before being covertly rescued by two high ranking Soviet Generals who wanted to convey information directly to the White House to try to avert a nuclear confrontation. They believed that he would be a uniquely reliable conduit of information between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as he deeply mistrusted both governments and therefore had absolutely no motivation to “color” any information he might transmit. Bertie Mac coined the term “Back Channel” and served as a direct communication link between the White House and the Kremlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Bertie Mac is a patriot, a soldier, a spy and an assassin. He served in all four roles during his time under President Kennedy. You will see the Soviet Union, the White House, Camelot, Vietnam and the assassination of the President in a very new light and watch history as it was being made.

Bertie Mac served under and reported to nine U.S. Presidents. This book is the first in the series. It is heavily documented with photocopies of documents which, though now declassified, originally bore the very highest of security classifications – Top Secret/ Sensitive/ Eyes Only. The documents are indisputably authentic and reveal the real facts that the American – and world – public never knew. Back Channel recounts the first stage of a totally fascinating journey.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Watch the Back Channel: The Kennedy Years at YouTube at http://youtu.be/x7a6N0sIan4

Back Channel: The Kennedy Years Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

Tuesday, May 1

Interview at Examiner

Wednesday, May 2

Interview at Between the Covers

Thursday, May 3

Interview at Ideamarketers

Friday, May 4

Interview at Blogcritics

Monday, May 7

Guest Blogging at Writing Daze

Tuesday, May 8

Interview at Pump Up Your Book

Wednesday, May 9

Interview at Review From Here

Thursday, May 10

Book Review at Wakela’s World

Friday, May 11

Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner

Tuesday, May 22

Interview at The Writer’s Life

Wednesday, May 23

Interview at Literarily Speaking

Thursday, May 24

Interview at Beyond the Books

Interview at American Chronicle

Friday, May 25

Guest Blogging & Book Review at Jersey Girl Book Reviews

Book Review at Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book

Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book

William Bertram MacFarland’s  BACK CHANNEL: THE KENNEDY YEARS VIRTUAL BOOK PUBLICITY TOUR will officially begin on May 1 and end on May 25 2012. Please contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife(at)gmail.com if you are interested in hosting and/or reviewing his book. Thank you!

UPDATE: THIS TOUR IS FULL.  THANKS TO ALL PARTICIPATING REVIEWERS AND BLOG HOSTS!

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One Response to “PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PRESENTS BACK CHANNEL: THE KENNEDY YEARS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR 2012”

  1. Brooke says:

    I would love to review this book!

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