Peter Buck

Peter Buck is the White House translator who witnesses much of the drama concerning the breakdown of the fail-safe system, and who translates for the President in his negotiations with Premier Khrushchev. Buck is in his early-30s and married. He was called up to military service during the Korean conflict in the 1950s, where his extraordinary facility for foreign languages was discovered. Buck has average intelligence, yet within one year of intensive training, he could speak, read, and write Russian fluently. One of the top three American-born Russian language experts in the nation, he is proud of his achievement, yet continues to study law part-time, which indicates he does not intend to remain a language expert all his life. In his interactions with the President during the crisis, Buck is respectful, somewhat awed by the intelligence and personal skills of his superior, and at times feels...