Armageddon Letters

Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro in the Cuban Missile Crisis

AvJames G. Blight,janet M. Lang

Häftad, Engelska, 2015

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Beskrivning

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.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2015-11-10
Mått:150 x 228 x 23 mm
Vikt:476 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:320
Förlag:Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN:9781442216808

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Mer om författaren

James G. Blight is theCenter for International Governance Innovation Chair in Foreign Policy Development at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada.janet M. Lang isresearch professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

Recensioner i media

Blight and Lang (Balsillie Sch. of International Affairs; coauthors, Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived) present a controversial investigation of the Cuban Missile Crisis, taking an approach they call “critical history,” in which discussions with players and rigorous analysis of primary documents are used to construct first-person narratives showing how Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro led their nations and interacted with each other (Kennedy with Khrushchev and Khrushchev with Castro). The authors claim that this is not fiction since facts are presented as they are known and no people, events, or scenarios are invented. The book is centered on 43 “Armageddon letters,” declassified between 1990 and 2005, which reveal that both Kennedy and Khrushchev tried to avoid a nuclear showdown, while Castro was willing to sacrifice Cuba if the Soviet Union would bomb the United States in retaliation. The book is divided into four acts, each one starting with a “Theatrical Preview” overview, and each also accompanied by a stark graphic story summarizing the text, with panels drawn by Andrew Whyte and dialog written by Koji Mautani. A helpful website, armageddonletters.com, amplifies the text. VERDICTThe book engages the reader and offers insight into leadership during the crisis.

Innehållsförteckning

DedicationEpigraphForeword by Peter AlmondIntroduction. Armageddon in Retrospect: “Carrying the Fire” of the Cuban Missile Crisis Into the 21st CenturyCast of Characters. Three Leaders/Three CrisesPrelude. Sleepwalk: April 1961-October 1962Act I. Collision: October 22, 23 1962 Act II. Spiral: October 23-28 1962Act III. Escape: October 27-31 1962Act IV. Squeeze: October 30 1962-November 20 1962Postscript. Hope: December 10 1962-October 15 2010Appendix A. The Armageddon Time Machine/Text: Acquiring the LettersAppendix B. The Armageddon Time Machine/Context: Bringing the Letters Back to LifeCreditsEndnotesAcknowledgementsThe AuthorsIndex