Michael Dobbs’ account of the Cuban Missile Crisis is the most up-to-date, comprehensive book written about that event which so nearly brought the world to global thermonuclear war. He carefully plots each event during the crisis, noting the date and time frequently as to keep the reader oriented. His book benefits not only from modern historical perspective but also from newly (well, somewhat newly) released documents. He corrects many of the misconceptions of the crisis that have been promulgated by TV and cinema, for example the notion of an eyeball to eyeball confrontation at the border of the quarantine line. He also shows the individual character of the players involved, revealing their not so politically correct language at the peak of the crisis when the cameras were not around (luckily, the government tapes were still rolling). At the height of the crisis, Dobbs quotes how Kennedy gave the world a 50/50 shot, and after an American U2 went astray over the Soviet Union on Black Saturday, Dobbs quotes Kennedy: “There’s always one son of a bitch who doesn’t get the memo.” Dobbs also quotes Kennedy saying that he is prone to migraines if he does not get “a piece of ass every day.” When describing Kennedy’s fears of Russian aggression on Berlin, Dobbs quotes Khrushchev calling Berlin “the testicles of the West.” Released in 2008, One Minute to Midnight is a must read for anyone interested in the Cold War’s most suspenseful moment.
Michael Dobbs’ account of the Cuban Missile Crisis is the most up-to-date, comprehensive book written about that event which so nearly brought the world to global thermonuclear war. He carefully plots each event during the crisis, noting the date and time frequently as to keep the reader oriented. His book benefits not only from modern historical perspective but also from newly (well, somewhat newly) released documents. He corrects many of the misconceptions of the crisis that have been promulgated by TV and cinema, for example the notion of an eyeball to eyeball confrontation at the border of the quarantine line. He also shows the individual character of the players involved, revealing their not so politically correct language at the peak of the crisis when the cameras were not around (luckily, the government tapes were still rolling). At the height of the crisis, Dobbs quotes how Kennedy gave the world a 50/50 shot, and after an American U2 went astray over the Soviet Union on Black Saturday, Dobbs quotes Kennedy: “There’s always one son of a bitch who doesn’t get the memo.” Dobbs also quotes Kennedy saying that he is prone to migraines if he does not get “a piece of ass every day.” When describing Kennedy’s fears of Russian aggression on Berlin, Dobbs quotes Khrushchev calling Berlin “the testicles of the West.” Released in 2008, One Minute to Midnight is a must read for anyone interested in the Cold War’s most suspenseful moment.
