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One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War

byMichael Dobbs

Michael Dobbs reconstructs the Cuban Missile Crisis hour by hour, following John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, military commanders, intelligence officers, diplomats, and ordinary personnel. Newly available evidence reveals accidents, miscommunication, unauthorized actions, and close calls beyond the leaders' control. The book explains the strategic choices surrounding Soviet missiles, the American blockade, invasion planning, and secret negotiations while preserving the tension of unfolding events. Dobbs shows that nuclear war was avoided through judgment and compromise, but also through luck, making the crisis a lasting warning about systems capable of destroying civilization in minutes.

Publisher

Vintage

Publication date

June 2, 2009

Format

Print edition

Pages

480

ISBN

9781400078912