inst an invasion of Cuba” in return for the dismantling and removal of all offensive nuclear weapons. Although Khrushchev and Kennedy were fairly satisfied with this resolution, Fidel Castro was totally enraged. He believed that the Soviets had somehow betrayed him, and he then attempted to force the Soviets to launch a full-scale nuclear assault on the continental U.S. When this failed, he attempted to do it himself. This was only prevented due to the quick deployment of contingents of Soviet soldiers to Cuba to ensure the dismantling proceeded.The way in which this book made me feel can best be explained as scared. Scared that we have already come so close to destroying the world as we know it, and that it was the work of so few men that has kept us here. The amazing amount of control at home and in his attitude, along with the political savvy exhibited by Kennedy, an inexperienced and young president, and the intricate political fencing he executed with the aid of the ExComm is simply mind-boggling. To have the fate of the entire world rest on your shoulders is a burden best left for Atlas, not mere mortals. This work has given me a deeper insight to the intricacies of modern politics, a realm I thought to be filled only with special interests and incompetent government officials. If it was so difficult to ensure there would be a tomorrow fifty years ago, I cannot imagine the exponential level of difficulty and stress that is now placed upon and experienced by the men responsible for these systems. All of which who could literally destroy the world with the pressing of a single button, and have these weapons of total destruction aimed at each other 24/7....
