50 years ago this week, the world stood on the brink of nuclear
war as the Cuban Missile Crisis unfolded. The United States
finally decided to first blockade rather than immediately attack
Cuba to prevent the Soviet Union from finishing installation of
missiles that could reach the continental United States. This
article introduces the little-known story of the battles between
the “hawks” and the “doves” in the Kennedy Administration as
related in a new publication, The Joint Chiefs of Staff and
National Policy, Vol. 8, 1961-1964. When President John F.
Kennedy finally announced the naval blockade of Cuba and the
reasons for it on national television, Americans huddled
together, practiced nuclear drills, and prayed for some peaceful
solution to prevent all-out nuclear war. Only decades later did
the full story of brinkmanship, bravado and brilliance come out
about what really happened behind the scenes during those two
weeks. Image Credit: The Arizona State Library, Archives and
Public Records A little known