Thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary. Thirteen Days; a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis 2022-12-21

Thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary Rating: 9,9/10 539 reviews

"Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis" is a book written by Robert F. Kennedy, who served as the United States Attorney General during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The book is a firsthand account of the events leading up to and during the crisis, as well as an analysis of the decisions made by Kennedy and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, and their administration.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It began in October 1962, when the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. This posed a serious threat to the security of the United States, as the missiles had the potential to reach most of the country within minutes.

In response to this threat, President Kennedy implemented a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent further shipments of missiles from reaching the island. He also made it clear to the Soviet Union that any attack on the United States would be met with a full-scale retaliatory attack. The President and his advisors also engaged in diplomatic efforts to try to peacefully resolve the crisis.

Throughout the thirteen days of the crisis, Kennedy and his advisors faced difficult decisions and intense pressure. They had to balance the need to protect the security of the United States with the desire to avoid a nuclear war. Ultimately, the crisis was resolved when the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise from the United States not to invade the island.

In "Thirteen Days," Robert Kennedy reflects on the lessons learned from the Cuban Missile Crisis and the importance of strong leadership and communication in times of crisis. He also discusses the role of the media and public opinion in shaping the government's response to the crisis.

Overall, "Thirteen Days" is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the role of the United States government during this critical moment in history. It offers a unique perspective on the events of the crisis and the decisions made by Kennedy and his administration.

Thirteen Days: A Memoir Of The Cuban Missile Crisis

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

The intent also clearly was to show how a President Robert F. I exactly remember where I was sitting in the classroom when one of the teachers came in, very serious, and told us that there may be a war. It is accompanied by a lucid Foreword written in 1999 by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Why has this information changed the recommendation? And the back and forth between the United States and Russia began, here documented in a fast paced first person account worthy of thriller status. This is a quick read, and a worthwhile one.

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Thirteen Days; a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

A dogmatism, a certainty of viewpoint, was simply not possible. . Two superpowers overarmed with nuclear weapons challenged each other in what could have spiraled so easily into the ultimate catastrophe. Kennedy's memoir of the Cuban missile crisis that occurs from October 16 to October 28,1962. That would be about 80 pages of RFK retelling the Crisis.

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Thirteen Days: A Memoir Of The Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F. Kennedy

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

The book ends with addresses and letters from President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev during those three weeks which if nothing else made me wonder about how this crisis did finally lead to detente and SALT talks eventually making the world a safer place and one less likely to go to the brink as it had done during those frightful days in October of 62. First he was for a strike, then a blockade, then for doing nothing because it would upset the situation in Berlin, and then, finally, he led the group which was in favor of a strike — and a strike without prior notification, along the lines of Pearl Harbor. RFK gives an excellent account of what was occurring behind the scenes and how various parties felt during the crisis. Kennedy steadied a course that would safely see a supreme nuclear crisis alleviated through his calm, thoughtful judgement and leadership. Everyone present agrees that time is running out.

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Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

Zorin with photographic evidence and has a "devastating effect. After being of interest to the slaveholding states in antebellum years, Cuba became the center of the Given its independence, the leadership retained close ties to the United States. Different perspectives and freedom of action is important. These show rapid construction. And a moment may come when that knot will be tied so tight that even he who tied it will not have the strength to untie it, and then it will be necessary to cut that kno "I have participated in two wars and know that war ends when it has rolled through cities and villages, everywhere sowing death and destruction.


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‎Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis on Apple Books

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

When on October 16 he was alerted about these findings, President John F Kennedy, still in his pajamas, called his brother Robert — "We have some big trouble. I just finished reading Sheldon M. Ultimately Jack, again displaying enormous moral courage, took the considerable political risk of instructing Bobby to make a secret offer of withdrawing Nato missiles in Turkey in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal of their missiles from Cuba. Eisenhower proposed liberating countries under attack from communist ones, much like the Truman doctrine, but the plan failed. It helps us realize how valuable and fragile peace is. Khrushchev, and his closest advisors, on the other. Yet that not only can happen; it frequently does when the recommendations are being given to the President of the United States.

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Thirteen Days; a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis Characters

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

A 1992 conference showed if anything the situation was more dangerous — according to a Soviet official in Cuba during the events, the Soviets had more troops in Cuba than previously thought and the arrival of the nuclear warheads feared but never confirmed had occurred. As Kennedy indignantly told Khrushchev, it was the same as if the United States had built nuclear-missile sites in Polland. Kennedy shows how individual prudence, considerable luck, and immense fortitude exhibited by fourteen eminent Americans and a Soviet Premier display spare the world nuclear obliteration when the super powers come nose-to-nose over Cuba in October 1962. As a keen student of history, I had read quite a bit about what has come to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, but to read a first hand account from JFK's brother, the equally intelligent and steady, Robert F. Regrettably, he was assassinated nearly a year later on November 22 ,1963 in Dallas, Texas. His writing is clear, modest and forthright. But the strongest argument against military intervention was that it might "erode, if not destroy, the moral position of the US throughout the world".

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FREE Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis PDF Book by Robert F. Kennedy (1968) Read Online or Free Downlaod

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

It is important that we elect our leaders not just based on their accomplishments or perception, but based on their sound beliefs, visions and demonstrations of leadership. They always understood each other," describes Stern the wonderful trust and loyalty that existed between the Kennedy brothers. The 13-day "game of chicken" begins between JFK and the large group of his closest advisors, members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, on one side, and General Secretary of the Soviet Communist party, N. Russia would be all "nuke away, nuke away? Hundreds of millions of people would be likely to evaporate in nuclear blasts if such a hypothetical moron serving as the president were trying to win the game. Ok first off this book is not a light read or something that you'll just breeze through. The tapes reveal that he avidly opposed the naval quarantine his brother eventually chose to impose to the Joint Chiefs' of Staff dismay and argued in favor of intercepting a Soviet ship that had approached the blockade, preferably one that might carry missiles. Had Thirteen Days not been so popular, had it not been considered the most authentic source available for so many years, Bobby Kennedy's deception would not be such an issue.

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Thirteen Days; a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis Summary & Study Guide

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

And the reality, according to Stern, was that there was only one person at the intense ExComm meetings who consistently and persistently resisted the advocates of military escalation from the ExComm, the Joint Chiefs, and the Congress: President John F. This is a good reminder that no one person, group, or thought has all the right answers. RFK also tries to provide the point of view of various participants here. Robert Kennedy was an insider observing the events. The world, which had been holding its breath for thirteen days, breathed out a collective sigh of relief when on October 28 the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to turn his ships carrying more arms to the island back and to remove the missiles already stationed on the island.


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Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F. Kennedy

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

At least this is what rational players should do. Nuclear war would have been inevitable had neither side decided to back down. But, the committee, which the president often left to debate alone, was a helpful tool. Clear, concise, and grippingly written, THIRTEEN DAYS is a brilliant, action-packed account of the JFK Administration's operations during those days when the fate of the whole world was being decided. The book is therefore a useful collection that provides things to various readers.

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Thirteen Days: A memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Robert Francis Kennedy

thirteen days a memoir of the cuban missile crisis summary

. RFK's text is quite short, about 80 pages. The book is a quick read and well-written. This last observation startled, and appalled, the Americans present. There are no endnotes though an index is added. JFK decides on blockade, requests, and receives support from the Organization of American States or OAS and European allies. The first half is a personal narrative of the events mixed with some personal analysis.

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