The Week the World Stood Still: Inside the Secret Cuban Missile Crisis (Stanford Nuclear Age Series) 1st Edition

by Sheldon M. Stern (Author)

47 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0804750776

ISBN-10: 0804750777

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Based on the author’s authoritative transcriptions of the secretly recorded ExComm meetings, the book conveys the emotional ambiance of the meetings by capturing striking moments of tension and anger as well as occasional humorous intervals. Unlike today's readers, the participants did not have the luxury of knowing how this potentially catastrophic showdown would turn out, and their uncertainty often gives their discussions the nerve-racking quality of a fictional thriller. As President Kennedy told his advisers, “What we are doing is throwing down a card on the table in a game which we don't know the ending of.”

Stern documents that JFK and his administration bore a substantial share of the responsibility for the crisis. Covert operations in Cuba, including efforts to kill Fidel Castro, had convinced Nikita Khrushchev that only the deployment of nuclear weapons could protect Cuba from imminent attack. However, President Kennedy, a seasoned Cold Warrior in public, was deeply suspicious of military solutions to political problems and appalled by the prospect of nuclear war. He consistently steered policy makers away from an apocalyptic nuclear conflict, measuring each move and countermove with an eye to averting what he called, with stark eloquence, “the final failure.”

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Week The World Stood Still is an impressive work of scholarship that is also highly recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of the Cold War era." -- The Midwest Book Review

From the Inside Flap

The Cuban missile crisis was the most dangerous confrontation of the Cold War and the most perilous moment in American history. In this dramatic narrative written especially for students and general readers, Sheldon M. Stern, longtime historian at the John F. Kennedy Library, enables the reader to follow the often harrowing twists and turns of the crisis.
Based on the author’s authoritative transcriptions of the secretly recorded ExComm meetings, the book conveys the emotional ambiance of the meetings by capturing striking moments of tension and anger as well as occasional humorous intervals. Unlike today's readers, the participants did not have the luxury of knowing how this potentially catastrophic showdown would turn out, and their uncertainty often gives their discussions the nerve-racking quality of a fictional thriller. As President Kennedy told his advisers, “What we are doing is throwing down a card on the table in a game which we don't know the ending of.”
Stern documents that JFK and his administration bore a substantial share of the responsibility for the crisis. Covert operations in Cuba, including efforts to kill Fidel Castro, had convinced Nikita Khrushchev that only the deployment of nuclear weapons could protect Cuba from imminent attack. However, President Kennedy, a seasoned Cold Warrior in public, was deeply suspicious of military solutions to political problems and appalled by the prospect of nuclear war. He consistently steered policy makers away from an apocalyptic nuclear conflict, measuring each move and countermove with an eye to averting what he called, with stark eloquence, “the final failure.”

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stanford University Press; 1st edition (January 18, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804750777
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804750776
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.64 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #425,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #69 in Latin American History (Books)
- #108 in History of Cuba (Books)
- #503 in European History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
47 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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Gualdemar Gutierrez

For everybody who has lived under the Nuclear Age to read

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2010

Verified Purchase

I think this book is a must for the understanding how the events evolved in those very difficult 13 days. The Author has made an excellent work in putting in a readable way hours of recordings that he himself heard over and over again. He did not fill any gaps but added the mood and the expresions of the word being said, and that greatly help to understand the situation. He also add parallel information of key events outside the recorded rooms and put all together in a very coherent form.
For us having suffered the chaos of the '60 as a collateral damage, knowing first hand what was happening in the Capital of the World is a revealing experience.
Also you can recognise the importance that the leadership had in both sides of the equation. The pressures, the uncertainty, the evident so called truth that a Leader has to overcome to find the right path in spite of them all is encouraging.
Hence I recommed this book to anyone who still want to know a great deal of the truth on the Cuban Crisis and learn first hand some excellent example of political leadership.

7 people found this helpful

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Renae Baker

Cuban Missile Crisis

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

I was 15 when president Kennedy was assassinated, so I wasn't totally aware of exactly what was happening at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was very interesting to me to read about it and understand what it was all about. I was fascinated with the book. It took me back to a time when I didn't quite understand what was happening or realize the seriousness of what could have happened. Wonderful book.

3 people found this helpful

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Ethan Bernard

Crisp, primary source history

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012

Verified Purchase

Kennedy's tape recorder lets you listen as a fly on the wall during the most important meetings of the 20th century. Crisp writing gives enough narration to provide a background for the conversations and explains nuances that non-experts would miss. A different story from that of RFK's 13 days, and probably a more honest one.

2 people found this helpful

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Denise Marie

Bringing History to Life

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2016

Verified Purchase

Stern did an amazing job bringing history to life. History can be hard to read depending on the historian, but Stern did a great job making it come alive. Fast Reading and Enjoyable

2 people found this helpful

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Justin

Good, quick read

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2017

Verified Purchase

Good, quick read. Narrative style keeps you entertained and information easily digested. Very pro-JFK point of view. Gross abuse of italics in nearly every sentence got annoying fast.

One person found this helpful

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Steve F.

Great read and presentation

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2015

Verified Purchase

Excellent read, lots of detail in a smaller book, new information on this critical event, does a great job of helping you visualize every player in the meetings.

One person found this helpful

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filately

very good book

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2012

Verified Purchase

I purchased this at the same time i purchased the cuban missile crisis in American memory.
Very well written..I like especially the parts they were able to salvage thru the tapes

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Christopher Griffin

Fascinating History

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2013

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The reliance on real-time information makes this book a first-rate study. To be able to relate history almost as if it were fiction is a true art.

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Top reviews from other countries

gordon leckie

The week the world stood still

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

Great insight a fantastic read recommend to anyone with an interest in the subject. Information from the tapes adds a whole new dimension.

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The Week the World Stood Still: Inside the Secret Cuban Missile Crisis (Stanford Nuclear Age Series) 1st Edition

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