HEADLINE: President John F. Kennedy Learns of Soviet Missiles in Cuba GUEST NAME: Professor Serhii Plokhy BOOK TITLE: Nuclear Folly TOPIC: Accidental War Warning SUMMARY: On October 16, 1962, McGeorge

HEADLINE: President John F. Kennedy Learns of Soviet Missiles in Cuba GUEST NAME: Professor Serhii PlokhyBOOK TITLE: Nuclear Folly TOPIC: Accidental War Warning SUMMARY: On October 16, 1962, McGeorge Bundy informed President John F. Kennedy that Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missiles had been spotted in Cuba. Kennedy was immediately upset, viewing Nikita Khrushchev as an "immoral gangster." Initial options included an air strike (Kennedy's preferred hawk stance) or a quarantine/blockade. John McCone of the CIA was notably absent, being on his honeymoon.
1963