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by: Michael Dobbs  List Price: $28.95 Amazon.com's Price: $19.11 You Save: $9.84 (34%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 973.922 EAN: 9781400043583 ISBN: 1400043581 Label: Knopf Manufacturer: Knopf Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 448 Publication Date: June 03, 2008 Publisher: Knopf Release Date: June 03, 2008 Studio: Knopf Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: In October 1962, at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union appeared to be sliding inexorably toward a nuclear conflict over the placement of missiles in Cuba. Veteran Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs has pored over previously untapped American, Soviet, and Cuban sources to produce the most authoritative book yet on the Cuban missile crisis. In his hour-by-hour chronicle of those near-fatal days, Dobbs reveals some startling new incidents that illustrate how close we came to Armageddon. Here, for the first time, are gripping accounts of Khrushchev’s plan to destroy the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo; the accidental overflight of the Soviet Union by an American spy plane; the movement of Soviet nuclear warheads around Cuba during the tensest days of the crisis; the activities of CIA agents inside Cuba; and the crash landing of an American F-106 jet with a live nuclear weapon on board. Dobbs takes us inside the White House and the Kremlin as Kennedy and Khrushchev—rational, intelligent men separated by an ocean of ideological suspicion—agonize over the possibility of war. He shows how these two leaders recognized the terrifying realities of the nuclear age while Castro—never swayed by conventional political considerations—demonstrated the messianic ambition of a man selected by history for a unique mission. As the story unfolds, Dobbs brings us onto the decks of American ships patrolling Cuba; inside sweltering Soviet submarines and missile units as they ready their warheads; and onto the streets of Miami, where anti-Castro exiles plot the dictator’s overthrow. Based on exhaustive new research and told in breathtaking prose, here is a riveting account of history’s most dangerous hours, full of lessons for our time. Average Rating:
 Rating: - GREAT BOOKThis book is equally great for those who have little background information on the Cuban missile crisis or those who are very familiar with the subject. The research us up to data and the material is written in a way that will not turn away fiction readers. Rating: - Scarier Than You ThoughtWe remember the Cuban Missile Crisis as the most dangerous moment of the Cold War...when we were "eyeball to eyeball". As time has allowed access to records and players on all three sides, the truth turns out to be much more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. Michael Dobbs does a commendable job following the chronology of the crisis from a variety of levels: in the Kremlin and the White House; as well as in the cockpits, conning towers, and firing rooms. JFK's cool leadership was a product ... Read More Rating: - No One's in ChargeWow. Even though everybody knows how the Cuban Missile Crisis ended, this book had me sweating it out. The new info that Michael Dobbs turned up made me realize that no one really knew what was going to happen. The politicians, from Kennedy and Khrushchev on down, were kind of making it up as they went along. I had learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis in school, but this book brought it to life in a way that no textbook on any subject ever managed. This book isn't just for history buffs. It's really ... Read More Rating: - Outstanding History Written as a ThriilerI also remember the Cuban missile crisis. I was in college and remember the Sunday night speech and watching the Russian ships heading for the blockade line. I also was of age to idolize President Kennedy and be inspired by him. I reading Mr. Dobbs work all the memories came back. This book really covered the back stories. The CIA almost silly attempts to overthrow Castro, the mistaken U2 overflights of Russia and the lack of the ability to communicate. Also I learned for the first time ... Read More Rating: - A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON A DEFINING MOMENT IN HISTORYTHIS IS A TRULY EXTRAORDINARY COMMENTARY ON A DEFINING MOMENT IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY....WELL WORTH A READ....A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS ACTUALLY THERE. 
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