The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis

By: Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow

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Synopsis: In October 1962 the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of war, each brandishing enough nuclear weapons to obliterate civilization in the Northern Hemisphere. For two weeks President Kennedy and an elite executive committee debated what to do, twice coming to the point of attacking Soviet military units in Cuba--units equipped for nuclear retaliation. Throughout this time, unbeknownst to many of the participants except the President himself, tape was rolling, capturing everything for posterity. These are the full and authenticated transcripts of those audio recordings. They capture the moment-by-moment decisionmaking of those with the fate of the West in their hands, struggling to make the best moves in a constantly changing and world-threatening situation. A thoughtful introduction and conclusion by the editors helps the reader understand this dangerous time in twentieth-century history and the leaders who successfully navigated it.