Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

In October 1962, the world came the closest it’s ever come to nuclear Armageddon. The discovery of Soviet missiles being installed in Cuba triggered the most dangerous encounter of the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. After thirteen anxious days, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev reached a resolution, both aware of the danger of mutual destruction. But the crisis was far from over, as it wasn’t just a showdown between two Cold War rivals—it was a global crisis, which also included Fidel Castro of Cuba, who was not consulted on the deal reached by Moscow and Washington. Serhii Plokhii, professor of history at Harvard University, offers an international perspective on the crisis based on a range of archival documents, including White House recordings in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and previously classified KGB records.

Professor Plokhii will deliver the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies' 2022-23 Lerner Lecture on Hinge Moments in History.