Awaiting Armageddon

By Alice L George,

Book cover of Awaiting Armageddon: How Americans Faced the Cuban Missile Crisis

Book description

For thirteen days in October 1962, America stood at the brink of nuclear war. Nikita Khrushchev's decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba and John F. Kennedy's defiant response introduced the possibility of unprecedented cataclysm. The immediate threat of destruction entered America's classrooms and its living rooms. Awaiting Armageddon provides…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Awaiting Armageddon as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

At the height of the Cuban missile crisis, President Kennedy met with the Pentagon’s head of civil defense, Steuart Pittman, to assess plans for protecting the American civilian population in the event of nuclear war. JFK mistakenly claimed that rural America could be better protected from radiation than urban America; Pittman, however, bluntly told the president that he was wrong: insisting that, “the only protection today is in the cities and there is little or no protection in the rural areas.” Kennedy became quite irritated, but unfortunately, his harsh reply was largely lost because the sound quality of the tape…

From Sheldon's list on Cuban Missile Crisis.

Want books like Awaiting Armageddon?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Awaiting Armageddon.

Browse books like Awaiting Armageddon

Book cover of Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Book cover of The Silent Guns of Two Octobers: Kennedy and Khrushchev Play the Double Game
Book cover of Blind Over Cuba: The Photo Gap and the Missile Crisis

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba, and the White House?

Cuba 89 books
The White House 83 books