The Fourteenth Day
JFK and the Aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis: Based on the Secret White House Tapes
12 November 2013
Description
"A portrait of the JFK White House after the Cuban Missile Crisis as it really was…human and revealing." —Evan Thomas
Popular history marks October 28, 1962, as the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yet as JFK’s secretly recorded White House tapes reveal, the aftermath of the crisis was a political and diplomatic minefield. The president had to push hard to get Khrushchev to remove Soviet weaponry from Cuba without reigniting the volatile situation, while also tackling midterm elections and press controversy. With a new preface that highlights recently declassified information, historian David G. Coleman puts readers in the Oval Office during the turning point of Kennedy’s presidency and the watershed of the Cold War.
Reviews
"Amid shelves of books on the Kennedy era, here at last is a genuinely fresh and interesting volume about his presidency. Coleman now leads the documentary team that transcribes and explains the recordings of meetings and phone calls that JFK secretly hoarded. Armed with that evidence and an exceptionally firm grasp of the personalities, institutions, and issues of that time, Coleman skillfully shows us a pivotal year, 1962 to mid-1963, the turning point of the Cold War and of the Kennedy presidency." — Philip Zelikow, former counselor of the Department of State, co-author of The Kennedy Tapes
"A half century later there are still important things about the Cuban missile crisis left to explore. David Coleman is the first to use the Kennedy tapes to show that the challenges posed by the crisis did not end on the fabled thirteenth day. The Fourteenth Day is a brilliant reconstruction of a time of superb presidential leadership. It is essential reading for those who love presidential history or just remain fascinated by JFK." — Timothy Naftali, former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, co-author of One Hell of a Gamble
"Illuminates a previously untold chapter about the most dangerous confrontation in human history." — Graham Allison, former assistant secretary of Defense, author of Essence of Decision
"Fascinating; Coleman brings this remarkable story to life, and his use of material from the Kennedy tapes is particularly impressive. This is the sort of book anyone interested in the period will enjoy reading." — Marc Trachtenberg, author of A Constructed Peace
"Director of the Miller Center’s Presidential Recording Program, Coleman has the goods." — Library Journal
"An engrossing and revealing account…Coleman has provided an excellent analysis of both short and long term results of the crisis." — Booklist
Also By: David Coleman 
The Presidential Recordings: John F. Kennedy Volumes IV-VI: The Winds of Change: October 29, 1962 - February 7, 1963
Hardback, 2016
The private vulnerabilities of the world’s most public man revealed.
