H-Net Discussion Networks - Johnson and the missile crisis [Sanders]

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From: "Mildred Elizabeth Sanders" <mes14@cornell.edu>
List Editor: "H-Diplo [AK]" <h-diplo@MAIL.H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Editor's Subject: Johnson and the missile crisis [Sanders]
Author's Subject: Johnson and the missile crisis [Sanders]
Date Written: Thu, 1 Nov 2012 09:56:24 -0400
Date Posted: Fri, 01 Nov 2012 09:56:24 -0400

Mark White, in his fine book _Against the President_:Dissent and
Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective (Ivan Dee,
2007), sharply criticizes Kennedy for the secrecy imposed on the "deal" to
take the missiles out of Turkey.

As I recall, his argument was that subsequent presidents (and of course
Secretary of State Dean Rusk whose boast that "We came eyeball to eyeball
with the other fellow and he blinked" would seem to indicate he didn't
know either) were misled into thinking that the way to win in such
confrontations is to hang tough, be ready to take extreme measures, rather
than engage in desperate late night diplomacy.

Elizabeth Sanders
Cornell University

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