Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis [Paperback]

Robert F. Kennedy (Author), Arthur Schlesinger Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999

The true history behind the major motion picture Thirteen Days starring Kevin Costner.

In October 1962, when the United States confronted the Soviet Union over its installation of missiles in Cuba, few people shared the behind-the-scenes story as it is told here by the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In this unique account, he describes the hour-by-hour negotiations, with particular attention to the actions and views of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Illustrated

Editorial Reviews

Review

As a principal figure in resolving the crisis Robert Kennedy brings to it extraordinary authority, with his own insights, perspectives and very important revelations of the decision-making process at the highest level, on the brink of nuclear holocaust. [He] shows us what happens to the most competent and trusted men under stress. Above all, perhaps his most valuable contribution is the way he recounts the events of what superficially seems to have been exclusively a military crisis, while constantly posing moral and philosophical problems. -- David Schoenbrun, New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Arthur M. Schlesinger, is a historian who served as special assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Among his many works are the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Age of Jackson and A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 185 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393318346
• ISBN-13: 978-0393318340
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Nuclear
  • #84 in Books > History > Americas > United States > 20th Century

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful memoir of nuclear crisis, January 13, 2001

By 

Robert Oliver "Rob" (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Paperback)

Robert Kennedy wrote "Thirteen Days" a short time before his death in 1968. He never had the chance to rewrite and add additional material to his book; but as written it is a riveting account of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. In the Autumn of 1962 the Soviet Union was placing nuclear missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy had to respond to that imminent threat, and the question was what course to take about the dangerous situation in Cuba. There were many that favored an immediate overwhelming military response to destroy the missiles; but Robert Kennedy favored surrounding the island with a naval blockade instead. He believed that a military attack on Cuba could lead to nuclear war, and that it should only be undertaken if there was no other choice. President Kennedy and his advisors spent many agonizing hours trying to consider every possible miscalculation or false step that could result in catastrophe. They sought to learn from the history of the past, and tried to follow a path of understanding in dealing with the Soviet Union and Cuba. The decisions that were made about Cuba would affect the lives of everyone on earth, and the lives of future generations as yet unborn. In this book the momentous events of the crisis in 1962 are seen through the eyes of Robert Kennedy. He opens the door to that time as only one who was there could, and gives many valuable insights into the mind of his brother the President. He helps us to understand what really happened in October 1962; and why. This is a very fine book, containing lessons of history that should always be remembered during times of great crisis.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Lesson about Human Nature and our own Mortality, March 13, 2001

By 

Anthony McClain (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Paperback)

"Thirteen Days", a memoir by Robert Kennedy has become one of the most insightful and behind-the-scenes accounts of one of the most studied military confrontations in history. It was a time in which the world looked nuclear annihilation directly in the eyes over the course of 13 dramatic days in October of 1962.

RFK, an intricate player throughout the process, lays out in chilling recollection the Cuban Missile Crisis and how close we actually came to that fateful day when the world's superpowers would square off with nuclear weapons. RFK's first-hand account articulately provides a perspective on what was going on in the minds of the players involved. It allows the reader to understand the enormous weight their decisions carried, as well as all of the pressures that affected each of them.

While a generation remembers a stoic President Kennedy giving his on-air address condemning the soviet supply of offensive weapons into Cuba, "13 Days" brings into account all of the human factors that affected these men as they sought to do what they felt was right.

This was a time in our nation's history when leadership was most needed. With the encouragement of the President, these individuals sought to learn from the mistakes of the past while also sympathizing with the Soviets who were also thrust into this position. The Soviets would not let a military attack go unwarranted, but at the same time had families of their own and ultimately wanted the same outcome from this standoff; a peaceful conclusion.

The decisions that were made by the ExComm would impact the history of the world and all of its inhabitants. It was a trying time that tested the souls of the leaders of the world and proved to be a turning point in world events. As JFK security advisor McGeorge Bundy aptly put it, "Having come so close to the edge, we must make it our business not to pass this way again." President Kennedy did his best to put it all in perspective; "For in the final analysis, our most basic link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

"13 Days" lays out the sequence of events that brought us all to this realization. It is a historical account that also touches upon the fragility of human nature and teaches us all a valuable lesson about our own mortality.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside The Cuban Missle Crisis, March 21, 2001

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Paperback)

The Cuban Missile Crisis is the defining moment of John Kennedy's presidency. Locked in a high stakes game of chicken, the world's two most powerful nations, US & USSR, faced off over the Soviet Union's deployment of nuclear warheads in Cuba. Robert Kennedy was the Attorney General at the time and this book (written shortly before his death) is his personal account of the Thirteen Days that the world waited in fear of a possible nuclear holocaust. We see the innerworkings of the committee that the President formed to advise him on how to proceed. Mr. Kennedy's writing vividly expresses the enormous pressure these few gentlemen were under. They literally had the weight of the world on their shoulders and one wrong move could spell total annihilation. Being the President's brother, he also is able to give us a view of the President that a normal cabinet member wouldn't be able to give. The book also contains correspondence between JFK & Kruschev, previously classified photos and transcriptions of speeches that JFK gave at the time. For someone who remembers the Crises, this book will bring back strong memories and for those of us who weren't alive, the book details an important time in our country's history.