| During one frightening week in October 1962, Americans for the first time faced the prospect of imminent nuclear war. Nikita Khrushchev's decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba and John F. Kennedy's defiant response brought the world to the brink of a cataclysm that could kill millions and crush two civilizations. The threat of destruction at home, which geography had averted in the two world wars, now entered America's classrooms and its living rooms, and individual Americans felt helpless in confronting the possibility of instant annihilation by nuclear weapons. By illuminating those public responses, rather than rehashing well-documented government strategies, this study attempts to fill a gap in our understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis and what it tells us about America in 1962.; During the seven days spanning Kennedy's announcement of an American blockade and Khrushchev's decision to withdraw the missiles, as many as 10 million Americans may have fled urban areas, and millions more prepared for war by clearing supermarket shelves of survival supplies. Frenzied bureaucrats rushed to complete government evacuation plans and to accelerate the marking and stocking of public fallout shelters. Frightened schoolchildren confronted the reality that their short lives might soon end, and thousands of college students expressed their distrust of the older generation by launching peace protests around the country. Worried journalists surrendered their objectivity to support the Kennedy administration and diminish the risk of war, while politicians teed to maintain their independence and present a united stand to the world.; Americans' natural optimism had led them away from massive civil defense preparations before 1962, and the crisis demonstrated the hollowness of existing programs. Trust in the government's ability to protect the citizenry diminished, and government credibility, in general, suffered In short, the crisis shook Americans to the core, revealing cracks in the veneer of Cold War unity that would widen into massive fissures, dividing Americans during the late 1960's. |
