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One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War

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For those of us old enough to remember the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis -- October, 1962 -- (I was a high school freshman at the time) Michael Dobbs's "One Minute to Midnight" stirs up memories of how it was to live in the knowledge that very possibly the next day, the next hour, the next minute might bring nuclear annihilation.

Based upon a vast quantity of primary sources material -- much of it previously classified -- including interviews with Soviet and Cuban personnel and even previously unstudied aerial photographs of the Soviet missile sites in Cuba -- Dobbs has constructed a rivetting day-by-day (and in places almost minute-by-minute) account of a world on the brink of nuclear war. Along the way, the author dispells some old myths (such as those surrounding the "eyeball-to-eyeball" confrontation of Soviet-controlled ships with the US Navy blockading forces) and reveals some startling new truths (unknown to American Intelligence at the time, the Soviets had deployed nuclear-armed cruise missiles against the American base at Guantanamo Bay).

Dobbs avoids overly mythologizing JFK's performance during the crisis (there was a good deal more uncertainty and policy shifting than was evident in White House accounts after the events), but neither does he seek to be a muck-raker denigrating JFK's leadership. In the end, the author praised both Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev for keeping their eyes on the goal, despite much hot-headed advice from many around them, of avoiding catastrophic war.

What emerges perhaps more than anything is a sense of the chaos and confusion that prevailed and so often threatened to heat the water pot beyond boiling, not because of anyone's conscious intent, but because ignorance of the full circumstances seemed to require it. We forget how primitive the state of communications and information technology was in 1961 as compared with today, and American and Soviet (and Cuban) leaders were often operating with vastly incomplete and even erroneous information.

"One Minute to Midnight" makes for compelling reading about one of the most dramatic, frightening series of global events to have occurred in the last several decades. Dobbs has done a first-rate job of laying out the complex details in an enthralling narrative.

The new book, "One Minute to Midnight" by Michael Dobbs is a masterfully written account of the Cuban missile Crisis in October 1962. The book is written from the perspective of those who lived through the most dangerous Cold War encounter between the two nuclear super powers, Russia and the United States. It probes the power plays of the introduction of nuclear missiles in Cuba by Nikita Khrushchev and President Kennedy's response that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

Being a veteran who served with the Navy photo reconnaissance squadron VFP-62 during that period, I had particular interest in reading the new material uncovered by Mr. Dobb's investigative reporting. VFP-62 photo Crusaders flew the low-level photo missions over Cuba, gathering the intelligence needed to help President Kennedy forge a plan of action that avoided nuclear catastrophe. The discovery of nuclear capable cruise missiles, by VFP-62 photos, revealed new information on how they were to be used against Guantanamo Naval Base and invading U.S. forces. The use of tactical nuclear weapons was not considered by the Pentagon in the initial planning of the intended invasion of Cuba.

The book is spell binding with the fast moving anticipation of a Tom Clancy novel, although in this case, events are real. Mr. Dobbs gets into the minds of the decision makers and probes the many ways the crisis could have ended in a total nuclear annihilation for Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The accounting of the wayward U2 that strayed over the Soviet Union during the height of the crisis, the crash of a F-106 with a nuclear bomb on board, the shoot down of a U2 over Cuba, the lack of full control over the nuclear weapons, in Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the United States, is a chilling reminder of how close we came to a nuclear disaster. Defense Secretary, Robert McNamara, came to believe that only "luck" had prevented nuclear war over Cuba.

After 46 years, many today believe that they know all that is necessary about the Cuban missile crisis. Through television documentaries such as, "Man, Moment, Machine", or "DEFCON 2" by the History and Discovery Channels, or the movie "Thirteen Days", the public is led to a superficial coverage of the most dangerous time in our nation's history. Only a book such as this, written by a skilled writer, can provide that sense of conflict between the military and the civilian control over the use of nuclear weapons. The book provides the most chilling account of the indifference of the Generals and Fidel Castro to the eminent deaths and destruction of millions of lives. This is a must read that is relevant today as it was in 1962.

Like most Americans (or maybe not...), I knew that the Cuban Missile Crisis was a dangerous time in the history of our planet. But until I read One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs, I don't think I fully understood how close we came to a full nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. And the common wisdom of Kennedy being the "winner" of this confrontation doesn't capture the reality of how much luck, timing, and conviction played in the event.

Contents:
Americans; Russians; Cubans; "Eyeball to Eyeball"; "Till Hell Freezes Over"; Intel; Nukes; Strike First; Hunt for the Grozny; Shootdown, "Some Sonofabitch"; "Run Like Hell"; Cat and Mouse; "Crate and Return"; Afterword; Acknowledgments and a Note on Sources; Notes; Index

Conventional wisdom paints the Cuban Missile Crisis as a time where Kennedy stood firm over the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuban soil. He went "eye to eye" with Khrushchev, and Khrushchev blinked. But Dobbs has exhaustively researched the event and paints a far different picture. Khrushchev introduced both medium-range and tactical nukes into Cuba in order to show Russian superiority and to protect a fellow communist country from a potential US invasion. This made Castro look invincible to himself and his people, and he welcomed the power they represented. When US intel discovered the missiles, the international tension started to rise as Kennedy declared this unacceptable and demanded the removal of the weapons. They also implemented a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent any more aid from showing up on the island. With each passing day (and often each passing hour), the risk that one side or the other would launch an attack continued to grow. Finally, through some backchannel negotiations and implicit promises, Khrushchev gave the order to crate up the missiles and send them back to Russia. But at so many points, the outcome could have been so much different...

Castro was certain that a US invasion was imminent, and wanted Khrushchev to order a pre-emptive strike on the US. The US kept up with overflights of the island to gather intel, and these overflights were seen as pre-invasion forays into Cuban airspace. Soviet SAM sites shot down one spy plane over Cuba, and US military officials were demanding retaliation. In fact, during the entire crisis, most US military officials were pushing for an invasion as well as launching a strike on Russian territory. A US spy plane got lost on a polar flight, overflew Soviet territory, and nearly touched off an exchange right there. While Khrushchev had started the confrontation, he recognized that no one could win in an all-out exchange. And the first missile fired would make it impossible to turn back. Kennedy recognized this also, and was doing all he could to hold off the hawks and give Khrushchev a way to back down while saving face. In the end, Kennedy got the missiles removed, and Khrushchev got an assurance that Cuba would not be invaded, while also getting US nuclear missiles removed from Turkey. But up to that point, there were literally dozens of points when a single person could have pushed a button and started an exchange that would have killed tens of millions of people.

Dobbs does an excellent job in both his research of the event, as well as the storytelling aspect. I felt the rising tension and understood how both sides were operating with incomplete information while trying to protect themselves. It's a literal miracle that the button wasn't pushed somewhere along the way. Students of history and warfare really need to read this book to understand that a nuclear war isn't a winnable proposition, and everything needs to be done to prevent things from getting that close to the edge again.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most dangerous moment during the Cold War, when humanity was in danger of annihilation.The main players of this showdown were two: Khrushchev and Kennedy.Their game was taking place on the tiny island of Castro's Cuba.
The truth is that even after so many years, no one really understands or knows why Krushchev has decided to send the missiles to Cuba.This was the most absurd and illogical decisions ever taken by a leader in contemporary history.What is known is the fact that the Russian leader of a master of the brinkmanship policy.
In terms of micro- history,I believe that this crisis is the most studied and most scrutinized one -when discussing various episodes of the Cold War.Researchers have studies the political,military and other aspects of the crisis and have so far provided us with many facts and miscellaneous points of view.
So, why should any reader bother to read a new book on this very-much dissected-so-far subject?
The answer is simple: Mr.Dobbs has written a most fascinating and intriguing book and what makes it unique is that this is a minute-to-minute account of the crisis- a thing that was never tried before.Therefore, this is not only history at its best but also a very good chronicle. He has incorporated new material and has unearthed new facts which were unknown so far.
Some of them relate to the Soviets' intentions to take out the Guantanamo base by nuclear missiles.He is also describing some incidents which could have easily ignited the Third World War, such as the Charles Maultsby incident involving the straying of a U-2 over the USSR.The various machinations of the Cuban community fellows in Miami -in order to topple their ex-leader-are also presented here.
Dobbs has also taken care to talk to some Russians who were minor players during the crisis and is giving us -for the first time- some insight of what they were doing or feeling.It is clear that most of the Russian soldiers sent to Cuba were going through hell because of the conditions on their subs or ships and even after their arrival to an exotic butalso an unpleasant lizard and snake-ridden island.
He also describes how the nuclear strike codes of the American were kept and what was supposed to happen once the President has taken the decision to activate those codes.
We also get some glimpses regarding the intelligence material supplied by 'IRONBARK'-the code of pehaps the most important spy who has been working for the American Intelligence community:Oleg Penkovsky.Mr. Dobbs should have elaborated on this aspect, since I have maintained for a very long time that the Cold War was maily about a war of wits.
For those who know very little about the crisis, this book will help them not only get started, but will also take them on a dangerous ride which is typical of thriller writers.For the specialists in this field, this book has to offer serious research- including many pages of documentation as well.
And finally, as the author writes,some more books will be written on this hazardous times ,when the process of still-classified documents will-hopefully- be sped up.
In short: this book is brilliant!It should be especially read by those who are in a hurry to take irresponsible decisions anywhere.

This book is an excellent piece of historical writing, well-documented and well-illustrated with pertinent maps and photographs. The author relies upon recently accessable material from Soviet and American archives, as well as interviews with personnel in America and Russia. Until Cuban archives are open, this work will be the last word on the topic. Most popular accounts seem to have been based on the "Excomm Tapes"; but these are replete with inaccuracies amd can be misleading. To be useful, they must be backed up with documentray sources. Without them, they can only be used to show the attitudes of the speakers. Alone they are not reliable for historical fact. Much of the earliest writing on the topic is from the "Canonical School of the Kennedys"; this analysis is well-balanced and gives JFK his fair due.

The title of this review is a quote from JFK that is somewhat similar to what Clausewitz described more eligently as "Operational Friction"; how in any compex military operation things start going awry. In the age of nuclear weapons it is even more dangerous. The chance for an accidental nuclear release were so numerous ("People you wouldn't trust with a loaded 22 rifle were flying around in single-seat aircraft with control over their nuclear weapons" as one speaker says) The "Afterwood" chapter is excellent with insights and is very useful to use as a classroom reading assignment.

Dobbs book succeeds in three important ways: First, it uncovers many previously unknown facts about the Cuban missile crisis. Some of these facts should change the way we view the crisis and the lessons we draw from it. Second, the book shows how chaotic the event were, how little the actors knew, and how the crisis took on a life of its own. This is quite sobering and not a little scary. Third, Dobbs tells the well-researched story as a journalist would, skipping between Washington DC, Havana, and Moscow, and half-a-dozen other places. This makes the book a very exciting and enjoyable page-turner. Two thumbs up!

This book is breathtaking. I was six years old when it all happened. I have read much on the Cuban Missile Crisis and thought all that could be said was said. However, I have been proved wrong. There is new information that reveals just how close we came to nuclear war. It is a book that reveals the humanness of Kennedy and Khruschev and the situations of mischance that can lead to resolution of conflcit or catastrophe.

Young people of this generation should read this book and learn its lessons for the future. Perhaps former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara said it best in his film, "Fog of War": "The indefinte exsitence of nuclear weapons and human faliibility will destroy nations." Enough said, read the book!

I was in college during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Between classes we sat in the Student Union Building watching CBS News on TV, waiting for a break in the tension - or the flash of a nuclear bomb. At one point the lights went out and one of my friends yelled and dove under a sofa for cover. (Someone had bumped the light switch.) The missile crisis was a defining moment in the Cold War. After the lessons of the crisis, the US and Russia (and China) managed to avoid getting nearly that close to nuclear war, despite Vietnam and the collapse of the USSR.

"One Minute to Midnight" brings it all back and adds new information that is very frightening, even with 46 years' distance. The book is well written and seems to have been very thoroughly researched. Dobbs resists the temptation to pad his story to make a longer book or to dramatize the situation to heighten the tension. The story is dramatic and tense enough as it is. His straightforward and coherent writing makes it clear how amazing it was that we didn't all get vaporized at the end of October 1962.

The scariest thing to read is that Fidel Castro was urging the Russians to launch a nuclear attack on the US and that he explicitly preferred dignity and his dogmatic "end of days" vision of a victory for socialism over a retreat. I used to think that the possession of nuclear weapons was likely to make leaders much more cautious about going to war. So much for that idea! Castro's advice to the Russians shows that having nuclear weapons won't make a crackpot ruler sane. So by extension, the prospect of Iran having the bomb in the future - or even Pakistan, which does have it - is a lot more frightening after you read Dobbs' book than it might have been before.

The book makes the case that John Kennedy's experience in World War II helped him resist the demands of his generals - most notably Curtis Lemay - to start shooting. The Pentagon thought there were 6,000 to 8,000 Russian advisors in Cuba, but there were 40,000. And they were armed with tactical nuclear weapons. Imagine what a disaster we would have had if we'd dropped a couple of divisions onto the beaches east of Havana. Anyone who's been in the military soon learns to question intelligence and to be skeptical of reflexive assumptions about the enemy. John Kennedy had already been burned by bad intelligence during the Bay of Pigs fiasco, so he was doubly skeptical. Dobbs shows us how lucky we were that JFK was neither naïve nor trigger happy.

All of this and far more unfolds brilliantly in One Minute to Midnight. The story is intrinsically intriguing and riveting. The book is well structured and well written, and Dobbs has given us enough new information to make shake our heads in wonder and dismay.

A few years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Robert Kennedy wrote "Thirteen Days" to describe the meetings of the US civilian and military leaders. While it had Bobby's own spin, the sweaty palms we all had in October 1962 have made me keep Kennedy's book on a special shelf. It's one of the books that have shaped my understanding of the world. Michael Dobbs' "Now One Minute to Midnight" is going to join it.

Michael Dobbs applies his journalistic skill to bring the drama and stress of the Cuban Missile Crisis alive for another generation. Dobbs writes in his acknowledgements and notes on sources, "What is there new to say about a subject that has been so exhaustively studied?" He answers himself with "The answer, it turned out, is a great deal." I could not agree with him more.

Like most Americans, my knowledge of the Cuban Missile Crisis was shaped by Hollywood in movies such as Roger Donaldon's "Thirteen Days". While the movie was accurate on most of the major events, Dobbs goes where no one else has ventured before. He reviewed original American, Cuban, and Russian source documents to tread a lot of new territory. Dobbs sets the record straight with some surprising revelations, as well as some corrections to "well-known" facts that have taken on a mythology of their own over the years.

"One Minute to Midnight" tells the story from all three perpectives - American, Russian, and Cuban. The Cuban sources were more restricted, so the full Cuban point of view is the least well developed. However, Dobbs does an excellent job describing the political relationships between Kruschev and Castro. Along these same limes, he also revealed the military command and control structures in place for all three sides of the conflict.

Dobbs reviewed raw intelligence reports, letters from home, and official records to triangulate the "real story". The Marines were able to follow a Russian convoy as they approached the perimeter of Guantanamo Bay. The Marines were very aware of the size and locations of the Russian forces, but the special weapons the Russians brought with them would have been very surprising indeed. This Russian State secret was kept for more than 30 years, but Dobbs reveals this grim reality for the first time.

In addition to the drama unfolding in the Caribbean, Dobbs looks at other factors that affected the crisis. If America attacked Cuba, would the Russians have attacked Berlin? What about Turkey? Certainly no superpower would allow its forces to be attacked without extracting a pound of flesh from the enemy.

Dobbs also looks at all of the American intelligence collection efforts. From the high-flying U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, to the low-level A-8 Crusaders that provided very detailed photography of the missile sites. He also recounts the efforts of the USS Oxford, a signals intelligence ship that skirted Cuba in international waters.
No story of the missile crisis would be complete without telling the tale of the brave Cuban nationals who untook sabotage missions against the Castro regime.

Dobbs is an accomplished story-teller. His writing style brings the story alive. Historians should take note - this is the kind of writing that keep readers interested. This book is an absolute must have!

SPOILER WARNING: As an example of the mythology that Dobbs sets straight, he reveals the truth of the "eyeball to eyeball" confrontation between Soviet Missile Carrying ships and the American navy. Kruschev's aim was to install the missiles in Cuba, forcing America to accept them as fait accompli. Because of the initial U-2 overflights, the plan was revealed before more missiles could be brought into Cuba. Kruschev blinked, and ordered the additional warheads outside the quarantine zone to return to port. The US Navy and missile ships never got within a few hundred miles of each other.

An excellent book, detailing one of the most perilous moments in our nations' history. With new photographs and newly released information, Dobbs takes the reader on an hour by hour journey through the dark days of October 1962. For those who have ever wondered how close we came to thermonuclear war, the answer is in these pages. Dobbs provides details of the fatal U-2 mission of Rudolf Andersen, as well as inside information regarding the strength of the Russian forces already on the island. CIA estimated 10,000 Soviet troops on the island, when the real number was closer to 40,000. The books main premise is that leaders can only control their military machines so much; that eventually events can escalate to the point of no return. Kennedy and Kruschev both understood that very important point. The book points out very accurately, that while Kennedy's advisors were looking at things from a military and political perspective, Kennedy was able to see things from a historical viewpoint, and thank God.