Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis is Robert F. Kennedy’s account of how the Cuban Missile Crisis was dealt with by President John F. Kennedy. The meetings of Kennedy’s decision-making Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) were held in secret and highly classified. However, in his role as Attorney General, Robert Kennedy was present for every single gathering. Writing as a brother and a high-ranking government official, RFK chronicles his view of how the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved under the direction and leadership of President Kennedy. Thirteen Days is a memoir of how one of the nation’s greatest leaders employed every tactic during a crisis to protect his country and the world from nuclear devastation.
RFK’s account of the crisis begins with his initial meeting with President Kennedy on October 19, 1962 and chronicles through to the situation’s resolution. At the outset, President Kennedy immediately began assembling the EXCOMM, which included leaders of the various departments of the Intelligence Community. Kennedy also included personal advisors and diplomats with an experienced understanding of Soviet government and culture. At multiple points in the book, RFK pauses to point out that the president was careful to surround himself with “dedicated, intelligent men, disagreeing and fighting about the future of their country, and of mankind.” In several circumstances, he recounts how the president encouraged disagreement and a broad development of multiple opinions. The president wanted to know every option available to him, and he wanted every plan, speech and timeline developed beforehand so it could be easily deployed if he chose. Additionally, he often hesitated to share his own opinions to avoid others becoming submissive or obedient to his ideas. He remained largely cautious of citing his own views, preferring instead to ask questions and flesh out all of the options presented to him.
Thirteen Days is an impressive case study of the handling of one of the most potentially disastrous crises to face the United States in the past century. Unlike the readings for the average crisis communications class, RFK’s memoir doesn’t stop to put the situation in public relations-friendly terms. He speaks frankly and emphasizes how every potential worst-case scenario was prepared for with a thorough strategy that had been hashed out by the nation’s greatest minds. Thirteen Days tells the story of exemplary national leadership at the height of an impending catastrophe through a first-hand account of patient, scrupulous and deliberate decision-making and would serve as a historically insightful read for a crisis communications class.
Nazneen Ahmed
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
RFK’s account of the crisis begins with his initial meeting with President Kennedy on October 19, 1962 and chronicles through to the situation’s resolution. At the outset, President Kennedy immediately began assembling the EXCOMM, which included leaders of the various departments of the Intelligence Community. Kennedy also included personal advisors and diplomats with an experienced understanding of Soviet government and culture. At multiple points in the book, RFK pauses to point out that the president was careful to surround himself with “dedicated, intelligent men, disagreeing and fighting about the future of their country, and of mankind.” In several circumstances, he recounts how the president encouraged disagreement and a broad development of multiple opinions. The president wanted to know every option available to him, and he wanted every plan, speech and timeline developed beforehand so it could be easily deployed if he chose. Additionally, he often hesitated to share his own opinions to avoid others becoming submissive or obedient to his ideas. He remained largely cautious of citing his own views, preferring instead to ask questions and flesh out all of the options presented to him.
Thirteen Days is an impressive case study of the handling of one of the most potentially disastrous crises to face the United States in the past century. Unlike the readings for the average crisis communications class, RFK’s memoir doesn’t stop to put the situation in public relations-friendly terms. He speaks frankly and emphasizes how every potential worst-case scenario was prepared for with a thorough strategy that had been hashed out by the nation’s greatest minds. Thirteen Days tells the story of exemplary national leadership at the height of an impending catastrophe through a first-hand account of patient, scrupulous and deliberate decision-making and would serve as a historically insightful read for a crisis communications class.
Nazneen Ahmed
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill