Thirteen Days by Robert Kennedy

Thirteen Days by Robert Kennedy

Thirteen Days, by Robert Kennedy, is a portrayal of the drama surrounding the Cuban missile crisis, and an analysis of the ordeal. There are two sides to this conflict which was played out in the post-World War II era. On one hand you have the Communists of the Soviet Union, whose desire to bring all of Europe under their heel would nearly spark a war that would annihilate the human race. On the other stands the Americans who wished the "vindication of right" and to prevent the further spread of Communism.

The tensions begin to mount after Germany and Berlin were divided among the victorious countries of the Allies and three major power blocs formed. The countries that had been newly formed in the aftermath of the war declared themselves to be neutral. The western countries, led by America, and the Soviet Union, along with its newly "acquired" countries, formed the other two. The Soviet Union had surrounded itself with Communist satellite countries, and was taking every opportunity to impose Communism onto any other country possible. In response to this policy the U.S. announced the Truman Doctrine, which was aimed at controlling the Soviet encroachment, and the Marshall Plan, designed to support the recovery of war-devastated Europe to make Communism less appealing. However, two things came to pass that sent shockwaves through the U.S. The first of which was the Communist overthrow of the Chinese government, which began to instill deeper fear of Communism. The second was the Soviet Union's newly discovered atomic ability. Now the U.S. was not the world superpower, did not have sole possession of the most powerful weapon in the world, the weapon that was the edge we needed to keep ...

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...nedy, 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.

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"Thirteen Days" Robert Kennedy