Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis

by Robert F. Kennedy, Arthur Meier Schlesinger

Overview

"A minor classic in its laconic, spare, compelling evocation by a participant of the shifting moods and maneuvers of the most dangerous moment in human history." —Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

During the thirteen days in October 1962 when the United States confronted the Soviet Union over its installation of missiles in Cuba, few people shared the behind-the-scenes story as it is told here by the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In this unique account, he describes each of the participants during the sometimes hour-to-hour negotiations, with particular attention to the actions and views of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. In a new foreword, the distinguished historian and Kennedy adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., discusses the book's enduring importance and the significance of new information about the crisis that has come to light, especially from the Soviet Union.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393318340
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/17/1999
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	141,089
Product dimensions:	5.49(w) x 8.28(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Arthur M. Schlesinger (1917 - 2007) was a historian who served as special assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Among his many works are the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Age of Jackson and A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	7
	"Tuesday morning, October 16, 1962"	19
	"The President knew he would have to act."	26
	"A majority opinion for a blockade"	34
	"It was now up to one single man."	37
	"The important meeting of the OAS"	45
	"I met with Dobrynin"	50
	"The danger was anything but over."	56
	"There were almost daily communications with Khrushchev."	61
	"Expect very heavy casualties in an invasion."	65
	"This would mean war."	70
	"Those hours in the Cabinet Room"	76
	"The President ordered the Ex Comm"	80
	"Some of the things we learned"	85
	"The importance of placing ourselves in the other country's shoes."	95
	Afterword	99
	Documents	147
	A Short Bibliography	175
	Index	177

Editorial Reviews

"As a principle figure in resolving the crisis Robert Kennedy brings to it extraordinary authority, with his own insights, perspectives and very important revelations of the decision-making process at the highest level, on the brink of nuclear holocaust."

David Schoenbrun

As a principle figure in resolving the crisis Robert Kennedy brings to it extraordinary authority, with his own insights, perspectives and very important revelations of the decision-making process at the highest level, on the brink of nuclear holocaust.

David Schoenbrun - New York Times Book Review

As a principle figure in resolving the crisis Robert Kennedy brings to it extraordinary authority, with his own insights, perspectives and very important revelations of the decision-making process at the highest level, on the brink of nuclear holocaust.— David Schoenbrun

New York Times Book Review