The Armageddon Letters
Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro in the Cuban Missile Crisis
Abstract
In October, 1962, the Cuban missile crisis brought human civilization to the brink of destruction. On the 50th anniversary of the most dangerous confrontation of the nuclear era, two of the leading experts on the crisis recreate the drama of those tumultuous days as experienced by the leaders of the three countries directly involved: U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and Cuban President Fidel Castro. Organized around the letters exchanged among the leaders as the crisis developed and augmented with many personal details of the circumstances under which they were written, considered, and received, Blight and Lang poignantly document the rapidly shifting physical and psychological realities faced in Washington, Moscow, and Havana. The result is a revolving stage that allows the reader to experience the Cuban missile crisis as never before—through the eyes of each leader as they move through the crisis. The Armageddon Letters: Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro in the Cuban Missile Crisis transports the reader back to October 1962, telling a story as gripping as any fictional apocalyptic novel.
Schlagworte
Latin American Studies Diplomatic History Cold War Cuba studies History of American Foreign Policy History of American Foreign Relations Cuban studies- b1–xii Preface b1–xii
- 1–16 INTRODUCTION 1–16
- 17–28 CAST OF CHARACTERS 17–28
- 29–62 PRELUDE 29–62
- 63–78 ACT I 63–78
- 79–122 ACT II 79–122
- 123–164 ACT III 123–164
- 165–212 ACT IV 165–212
- 213–238 POSTSCRIPT 213–238
- 239–260 APPENDIX A 239–260
- 261–268 APPENDIX B 261–268
- 269–284 Notes 269–284
- 285–288 Acknowledgments 285–288
- 289–302 Index 289–302
- 303–304 About the Authors 303–304