Joseph S. Nye, Jr. on how close the world was to nuclear war in 1962.
On 14 October 1962, a US air force plane captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba, setting in train the crisis which brought the US and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war
Cuban missile crisis, major confrontation at the height of the Cold War that brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of a shooting war in October 1962 over the presence of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba. The crisis was a defining moment in the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
Fifty years ago, the world came to the brink of nuclear war. On October 14, 1962, U.S. policymakers learned that the Soviet Union was building... Read More
On 14 October 1962, a US air force plane captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba, setting in train the crisis which brought the US and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war
On 14 October 1962, a US air force plane captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba, setting in train the crisis which brought the US and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war
This edited volume addresses the main lessons and legacies of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis from a global perspective. Despite the discoveries of recent research, there is still much more to be revealed about the handling of nuclear weapons before and during the Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC). Featuring contributions from a number of eminent international scholars of nuclear history, intelligence, espionage, political science and Cold War studies, An International History of the Cuban Missile Crisis reviews and reflects on one of the critical moments of the Cold War, focussing on three key areas. First, the volume highlights the importance of memory as an essential foundation of historical understanding and demonstrates how events that rely only on historical records can provide misleading accounts. This focus on memory extends the scope of the existing literature by exploring hitherto neglected aspects of the CMC, including an analysis of the operational aspects of Bomber Command activity, explored through recollections of the aircrews that challenge accounts based on official records. The editors then go on to explore aspects of intelligence whose achievements and failings have increasingly been recognised to be of central importance to the origins, dynamics and outcomes of the missile crisis. Studies of hitherto neglected organisations such as the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the British Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) both extend our understanding of British and American intelligence machinery in this period and enrich our understanding of key episodes and assessments in the missile crisis. Finally, the book explores the risk of nuclear war and looks at how close we came to nuclear conflict. The risk of inadvertent use of nuclear weapons is evaluated and a new proposed framework for the analysis of nuclear risk put forward. This volume will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, international history, foreign policy, security studies and IR in general.
This edited volume addresses the main lessons and legacies of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis from a global perspective. Despite the discoveries of recent research, there is still much more to be revealed about the handling of nuclear weapons before and during the Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC). Featuring contributions from a number of eminent international scholars of nuclear history, intelligence, espionage, political science and Cold War studies, An International History of the Cuban Missile Crisis reviews and reflects on one of the critical moments of the Cold War, focussing on three key areas. First, the volume highlights the importance of memory as an essential foundation of historical understanding and demonstrates how events that rely only on historical records can provide misleading accounts. This focus on memory extends the scope of the existing literature by exploring hitherto neglected aspects of the CMC, including an analysis of the operational aspects of Bomber Command activity, explored through recollections of the aircrews that challenge accounts based on official records. The editors then go on to explore aspects of intelligence whose achievements and failings have increasingly been recognised to be of central importance to the origins, dynamics and outcomes of the missile crisis. Studies of hitherto neglected organisations such as the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the British Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) both extend our understanding of British and American intelligence machinery in this period and enrich our understanding of key episodes and assessments in the missile crisis. Finally, the book explores the risk of nuclear war and looks at how close we came to nuclear conflict. The risk of inadvertent use of nuclear weapons is evaluated and a new proposed framework for the analysis of nuclear risk put forward. This volume will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, international history, foreign policy, security studies and IR in general.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, U.S. Army Hawk anti-aircraft missiles sit, mounted on launchers and pointed out over the Florida Straits in Key West, Florida, on October 27, 1962. (AP photo) from the Miami News, Oct 28, 1962. (Click to enlarge) The Miami News, Oct. 23, 1962. President Kennedy speaks to the nation about the missile crisis in a televised address on Oct. 22, 1962.
The crisis brought the world as close as it's ever been to nuclear war, when the Soviet Union deployed dozens of nuclear weapons in Cuba. On that island nation, where those tense 13 days are known as the October Crisis, the event is being marked in a low-key way.
Joseph S. Nye, Jr. on how close the world was to nuclear war in 1962.
On 14 October 1962, a US air force plane captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba, setting in train the crisis which brought the US and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war
On 14 October 1962, a US air force plane captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba, setting in train the crisis which brought the US and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war
