As nbc news correspondent in washington, elie abel was in a good position to observe the cuban missile crisis of october 1962. Abel quotes mcnamara as saying, a missile is a missile. Nonetheless, overall, i think that the missiles of october gives a more accurate portrayal of the key figures in the cuban missile crisis than thirteen days. Cuban missile crisis, 1962, major cold war confrontation between the united states and the soviet union. Older works of importance include elie abel, the missile crisis philadelphia. In an oral history recorded for the kennedy library in boston. New scholarship on the cuban missile crisis diplomatic. I read it recently when i was laid up after surgery. The story of the cuban missile crisis skip to main search results. Abel died on july 22, 2004, at the casey house hospice in rockville, maryland, at age 83, from the effects of alzheimers disease. In 1966, he published his first book, the missile crisis, on the 1962 cuban missile crisis. Why is jfk thought to be a more effective president than. In response to the bay of pigs invasion and other american actions against cuba as well as to president kennedys buildup in italy and turkey of u. The missiles of october the cuban missile crisis 1962 elie abel on.
A taut, exciting chronicle of the cuban missile crisis a. But elie abels new book on the missile crisis, like the earlier accounts by sorensen and schlesinger, shows that this was not the dominant view in the inner. Dec 18, 1974 j j oconnor revs the missiles of october, abc theater program recalling kennedy adms handling of 62 cuban missile crisis. The main treatmentsof the cuban missile crisis include.
New scholarship on the cuban missile crisis diplomatic history. Aug 28, 2008 5 elie abels book, the missiles of october. The missiles of october the cuban missile crisis 1962 hardcover 1966 by elie abel author. Abel has done a first rate job in recreating the tense atmosphere of that particular time. For his part, allison examined the crisis in order to develop various models for understanding the process of. A wonderfully concise, lucid, and compelling account of the days in october, 1962, when the world stood at the brink of nuclear war. The 1962 cuban missile crisis is the subject of this madefortv effort. In this special report, dobbs distills the key findings of his book, including ten lessons for a modernday president. In the book abel comments on john kennedys meeting with khrushchev in vienna.
The author, elie abel, was a well known foreign and political correspondent for nbc news at the time of the missile crisis. The blogger otherwise known as the scientist gone wordy and i return for another round in this parallel post thingy of ours. Please note the image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,550grams, isbn. Published in the united states of america in 1966 as the missile crisis show more. The cuban missile crisis and international law a book. Then comes a chipping away of previously held convictions. Includes photocopies of drafts of and correspondence relating to the book by e. The missiles of october is a 1974 docudrama madefortelevision play about the cuban missile crisis.
Books the missiles of october the story of the cuban missile crisis 1962. There is reason to believe that khrushchev took kennedys measure at their vienna meeting in june 1961, and decided this was a young man who would shrink from. Callahan, peter donat, michael lerner, and andrew duggan. The two standard books on the bay of pigs invasion are higgins, perfect. Rent the missiles of october 1973 starring william devane and martin sheen on dvd and bluray. The press at bay, 1970, guild memorial lecture, university of minnesota, october 15, 1970.
List of books and articles about cuban missile crisis. Michael dobbs was a foreign correspondent for the washington post for nearly fifteen years, representing the newspaper in belgrade, warsaw, paris, and moscow. Nathan introduction h istorians know there is a rhythm to their craft. I was not expecting to be so enthralled by a book about an event i had just come to assume i understood. Starring william devane as president john kennedy, the movie explores the events of the day period when the world stood. The missile crisis, bantam books 0 copy quote john f. The title evokes the book the guns of august by barbara.
Hallmark hall of fame had many fine presentations, and the missiles of october was one. Object details category books creator abel, elie author macgibbon and kee publisher. Sign up for librarything to find out whether youll like this book. The cuban missile crisis chapter 4 the cambridge history. Thus, in reading this finely detailed circumstantial narration of the thirteen days in october, 1962, when russia threatened the u. The story of the cuban missile crisis, was published in 1966. There is a more modern film depicting the same time, thirteen days, which is also excellent, and had the advantage of the. Abel captured my attention immediately, and did not let go. For policymakers, the crisis confirmed a number of tenets about the utility of power. In the first decade after the crisis, elie abel and graham allison produced the most important works. The cuban missile crisis and liberal foreign policy william.
However, given the title we agreed to take on this month, some confusion arose regarding the movie portion of this book film adaptation series. Dec 17, 1974 elie abel, dean of columbia univ school of journalism, charges abctv with plagiarism in production of the missiles of oct, factual dramatization of days of cuban missile crisis. The first book about the missile crisis was written by cfr agent elie abel. This, in any case, is the interpretation that governs, indeed molds, the dramatic thrust of the missiles of october. The cuban missile crisis began for the united states on the morning of october 16, when president kennedy was informed of the discovery of missile sites in cuba by u2 surveillance aircraft. The other missiles of october philip nash university of. He went on to write other books and articles, including roots. This is an exlibrary book and may have the usual libraryused book markings inside. Kennedy convened an informal group of cabinet officials and top civilian and military advisors the ex comm to consider and plan an appropriate response. Khrushchevs secret dispatch of nuclear missiles to fidel castros revolutionary cuba and us president john f. The cuban missile crisis resources for history teachers. Elie abel continues his analysis of the cuban missile crisis, 26 min. Above all, while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring down an adversary to the choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. Intelligence aerial reconnaissance experts, analyzing u2 photographs taken over cuba, found unmistakable evidence of.
On october 14th 1962, an american u2 spy plane completed a relatively routine run over the island of cuba, taking reconnaissance photographs see picture from an altitude of 12 miles. Of course, i remember the missile crisis vividly, being afraid since i had just moved to new york city and felt we were targeted for nuclear obliteration. He led the new york times belgrade office as bureau chief during the 1956 hungarian revolts and covered the 1958 chinese takeover of tibet from his post in new delhi. Elie abel, a former foreign and domestic correspondent at both the new york times and nbc news who drew on those experiences as dean of the graduate school of journalism at columbia university in the 1970s, died on thursday at a hospice in rockville, md. Kennedy has been variously praised and blamed for his handling of, the cuban missile crisis in october.
Journalist elie abel details the background of the 1962 crisis, 36 min. October i962, when the russians were discovered to have placed forty. Publication date 1966 topics military bases, soviet, cuban missile crisis, 1962 publisher. Diplomatic history, volume 14, issue 4, october 1990, pages 471492. Elie abel, a new york times reporter who wrote the first substantial book about the missile crisis endeavored to unlock the mystery. Elie abel 19202004 elie abel was an extraordinarily accomplished journalist in print and broadcasting, the author of seminal books on the conduct of american foreign policy in the cold war era.
Abel s first wife, corinne, died in 1991 after 45 years of marriage. Abel captured my attention immediately, and did not let. Rent the missiles of october 1973 on dvd and bluray dvd. The missiles of october the story of the cuban missile crisis 1962. Consequently, the book is not, nor was it meant to be, a history or critical analysis of the crisis. The missiles of october the story of the cuban missile. Khrushchevs placement of missiles in cuba all empires.
In the missile crisis, abel used interviews with numerous participants to craft the first richly detailed narrative of the crisis. Events are examined and orthodoxies are established. A cartoon depicting kennedy and khrushchev at loggerheads during the cuban missile crisis. The cuban missile crisis 1962 by elie abel and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Kennedy, elie abel is available at bauman rare books.
Elie abel by elie abel and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Palo alto online lasting memories elie abels memorial. Some professional disinformation specialists have conspired to make us believe that, with regard to the missile crisis, all has been said and explained. Missiles of october recalls the cuban crisis the new.
The missiles of october the cuban missile crisis 1962. The cuban missile crisis tensely reported in this book, virtually hour by hour, by nbcs london bureau chief elie abel was touched off, in effect, on sunday, oct. Click to read more about the missile crisis by elie abel. The missiles of october starred william devane as jfk, martin sheen as rfk, ralph bellamy as adlai stevenson, howard da silva as khrushchev, john dehner as dean acheson, along with other character actors of the time dana elcar, james t.
The cuban missile crisis involved a single discrete set of circumstances. Excerpts from the transcript of the first days meetings october 16. The title evokes the book the guns of august by barbara tuchman about the missteps amongst the great powers and the failed chances to give an opponent a graceful way out, which led to the first world war. Elie abel october 17, 1920 july 22, 2004 wrote extensively on communism, politics, and history during his six decades as a journalist. Elie abel, in one of the first and most insightful published analyses of the crisis, emphasized how the moral dimension of a u. The traditional interpretation, enshrined in the writings of theodore c. Professionally converted for accurate flowingtext e book format reproduction, this report provides comparative perspectives of the cuban missile crisis of october 1962. Lets begin with rfk, who has been lionized as a clever statesmen, partly due to his own posthumous 1969 book on the crisis. One lessknown aspect of the crisis was the role of similar u. Not until i picked up elie abel s book the missile crisis did i ever discover the motivation to learn what happened during those days. But elie abel s new book on the missile crisis, like the earlier accounts by sorensen and schlesinger, shows that this was not the dominant view in the inner councils of the white house. Reading the lessons correctly richard ned lebow the lessons of the cuban missile crisis occupy a central place both in united states foreign policy and in international relations theory.
When he died, he had been married to charlotte hammond page dunn for nine years. Kennedy did much to bring on the october 1962 nuclear. The purpose is to present briefly the alternative perceptions of the united states and the soviet union during the crisis. Khrushchev proposal removal of soviet missiles in cuba u. Trumans new security order causes air force to curtail wright field program by elie abel special to the new york times. The cuban missile crisis after fifty years sciencedirect. And the events portrayed in the missiles of october are as historically accurate as was possible at the time this film was made. Kennedy had to compel the soviet union to withdraw the missiles to defend the balance of power, preserve nato, and convince nikita s. In this special report, dobbs distills the key findings of his book, including ten lessons for a. The missile crisis by elie abel goodreads share book. New understandings emerge and stand, at least for a while. Lippincott, 19xx a taut, exciting chronicle of the cuban missile crisis the missile crisis.