Thirteen Days, to Page 34 Summary and Analysis

Shortly after 9 AM on Tuesday 16 October 1962, President John F. Kennedy, also known as JFK, summons the author, his brother and Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, also known as RFK, to the White House to tell him a U-2 spy plane has found proof of Russian missiles and atomic weapons in Cuba. The world stands on the brink of nuclear annihilation from then until Sunday, 28 Oct. At 11:45 AM, the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA briefs high officials in the Cabinet Room. Their charts and photographs are nearly unintelligible, but stunning and surprising.

Weeks earlier, RFK raises concerns about military equipment going to Cuba with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, who passes along Chairman Nikita S. Khrushchev's promise of no trouble preceding U.S. elections. RFK warns that the U.S. is watching and missiles in Cuba will...