Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis

5451. Thirteen Days A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Robert F. Kennedy (read 10 Mar 2017) This book was not published till after Bobby's death on 6 June 1968. It tells well of the tension-filled days in October 1962 when the world could have been changed irrevocably if JFK had listened to

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those advisers who recommended a Pearl Harbor-like attack on Cuba. The book is naturally written to show Jack and Bobby in a favorable light, but it also includes JFK' speeches to the Ameican People and the letters of he exchanged with Khrushchev and Khrushchev's letters, as well as those of the U.N. Secretary-General, all of which are well worth reading in full. I read on 10 March 2001 the book One Hell of a Gamble, by Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali--probably the definitive work on the crisis--and reading this book re-ignited in me the tension I experienced living through the crisis and while reading the other book.

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I first must offer a confession-Bobby Kennedy is one of my heroes, so I am not necessarily an objective reviewer. I was drawn to the book by two factors beyond hero-worship, the 2000 movie by the same title, and President Bush's decision to plunge into Iraq following 9/11. I believed then, as I do

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now, that the Cuban Missile Crisis was a far greater danger to the U.S. than Iraq ever was, yet somehow, President Kennedy managed to avoid reflexively attacking Cuba, keeping us out a hot war 90 miles from our coast, and cooling off the nuclear confrontation that appeared inevitable.

For those who don't know this book, it was written in 1967, and published in 1969 after Bobby's death. There are only 120 pages of text which offer a general outline of the course the Kennedys and their advisers took to meet the challenge of the missiles in Cuba. There is a great deal that is not told, a lot of blanks in the story that need filling in. Thirteen Days is only a beginning if one wishes to learn more about this topic. With the end of the Cold War a number of titles are available that draw from U.S. and Soviet sources to do just that. Thirteen Days is a good place to begin.

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Robert F. Kennedy's memoir of the events happening during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It was very interesting to read the details of what was going on during that time period. Quite a few games of "chicken" were played, and one wonders what would have really happened if bluffs had been called.

A remarkable, gripping account of the thirteen days in 1962 when the U.S. and Soviet Union were on the brink of a war that would have inevitably led to nuclear annihilation.

Interesting story. Not as dramatic as I had expected, based on the movie, but it adds a little texture. I appreciate that Kennedy tried to draw lessons from the experience. Perhaps some are debatable, or self-serving, but it is all very relevant (and scary).

As a child born in the 1950's, I now realize how scary times were. My mother was very interested in politics, and I listened to her times with friends round the kitchen table. I distinctly remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. When reading this book, I realized that my mother and friends had a reason

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to be so concerned.

This was also during the times of "duck and cover." We had small wooden desks at school. There were regular drills when the teacher told us to go under our chairs and stay there.

Told by Robert Kennedy, the book is a well-written chronicle of the reaction of President John F. Kennedy and his very competent team of leaders. Step by step, day by day, as the Russian's insisted in building an arsenal of atomic weapons on Cuban soil, it would have been very easy for the president to over react.

President John F. Kennedy was indeed an incredible leader. Knowing that the destiny of the world was in his hands and those of his leadership team, he methodically listened to differing opinions. This book outlines the letters that flew back and forth from Khrushchev and Kennedy, each one taking a firm stance. As the Russian ships approached Cuba, Kennedy drew a line of demarcation. He and his team spent grueling time, with little sleep hoping that Russia would realize the United States was not backing down and therefore there needed to be a workable solution before the bombs were sent to their targets.

As I read this book, I wondered what would have happened if this situation would have presented itself to leaders of today. Would egos become involved? Would there be an overreaction to "push the button?"

This book is filled with the details that eventually lead to a peaceful negotiation.

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I can't believe I had this book for a few months before I actually read it. Incredible book and now I'm obsessed with the Cuban Missle Crisis.