Defcon-2: Standing on the Brink of Nuclear War During the Cuban Missile Crisis - Hardcover

Polmar, Norman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471670227 ISBN 13: 9780471670223

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2006

Synopsis

A new look at one of the pivotal events of the Cold War, packed with new revelations Drawing on newly declassified documents, Defcon–2 offers a fascinating re–examination of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Unlike many books on the topic, it not only covers the fateful "13 days in October," but provides a detailed description of the run–up to the crisis in the Fall of 1962. The authors demonstrate how virulent American antipathy to Castro as well as Cold War gamesmanship fueled the crisis, and they explain how the primary blame for U.S. intelligence failures during the crisis were because of Kennedy administration policies. Norman Polmar (Alexandria, VA) is a regular commentator on A&E and the Discovery and History Channels and the author of more than 40 books on naval, aviation and intelligence subjects. John D. Gresham (Fairfax, VA) collaborated with Tom Clancy on a bestselling series about the military and is the author of a forthcoming book on U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan.

About this title

Review:

" DEFCON–2 is the best single volume on the Cuban Missile Crisis published, and is an important contribution to the history of the cold war. Beyond the military and political facts of the crisis, Polmar and Gresham sketch the personalities that created and coped with the crisis. They also show us how close we came to the edge without becoming sensationalistic." ––Larry Bond, best–selling author of Dangerous Ground " DEFCON–2 should become a standard reference work on the missile crisis." ––Proceedings, the professional magazine of the US Navy

From the Back Cover:

The closest we′ve ever come to the end of the world "DEFCON–2 is the best single volume on the Cuban Missile Crisis published and is an important contribution to the history of the Cold War. Beyond the military and political facts of the crisis, Polmar and Gresham sketch the personalities that created and coped with the crisis. They also show us how close we came to the edge without becoming sensationalistic." —Larry Bond, bestselling author of Dangerous Ground Spy–satellite and aerial–reconnaissance photos reveal that one of the United States′s bitterest enemies may be acquiring weapons of mass destruction and the means to use them against the American homeland. Administration officials refuse to accept intelligence professionals′ interpretation of these images and order an end to spy missions over the offending nation. More than a month later, after vicious infighting, the president orders the spy missions to resume. The new photos reveal an array of ballistic missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads and striking deep within U.S. territory. It appears that the missiles will be fully operational within one week. This is not a plot setup for a suspense novel; it is the true story of the most terrifying moment in the 45–year Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union: the Cuban Missile Crisis. DEFCON–2 tells this tale as it has never been told before—from both sides, with the help of hundreds of recently declassified U.S. and Soviet documents, as well as interviews with numerous former spies, military figures, and government officials who speak out here for the first time.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0471670227
• ISBN 13: 9780471670223
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 412