The Silent Guns of Two Octobers
Kennedy and Khrushchev Play the Double Game
Far from the brink
Description
The Silent Guns of Two Octobers uses new as well as previously under-appreciated documentary evidence to link the Cuban Missile Crisis to the Checkpoint Charlie tank standoff to achieve the impossible—craft a new, thoughtful, original analysis of a political showdown everyone thought they knew everything about. Ultimately the book concludes that much of the Cold War rhetoric the leaders employed was mere posturing; in reality neither had any intention of starting a nuclear war. Theodore Voorhees reexamines Khrushchev’s and Kennedy’s leadership, decision, and rhetoric in light of the new documentary evidence available. Voorhees examines the impact of John F. Kennedy's domestic political concerns about his upcoming first midterm elections on his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis through his use of back-channel dealings with Khrushchev during the lead-up to the crisis and in the closing days when the two leaders managed to reach a settlement.
Theodore Voorhees, Jr. is Senior Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP.
News, Reviews, Interviews
Read: Featured on "The Best Books on the Cuban Missile Crisis since the opening of JFK's White House tape recordings" | 12/16/2021
Read: "Spats about Ports in Sri Lanka: The Bigger Picture" featured a section on The Silent Guns of Two Octobers | 09/10/2021
Watch: "Theodore Voorhees: Kennedy and Krushchev Play the Double Game Over Berlin and Cuba" at the Commonwealth Club | 10/12/2020