1. Introduction -- 2. Kennedy, Apocalyptic Power, and the Cold War Backdrop -- 3. Enter Cuba -- 4. Cuba: Cold War Competition and Containment by Stealth -- 5. The Politics of a "Perfect Failure": the Bay of Pigs Invasion -- 6. Blowback and Berlin -- 7. Cuba: "The Top Priority in the United States Government--All Else Is Secondary" -- 8. August 1962: Spotting the Buildup, Planning for the Worst -- 9. Thirteen Days on the Brink of War: The Cuban Missile Crisis -- 10. The Nuclear Dimension -- 11. Conclusion --Biographies: The Personalities behind the Cuban Missile Crisis -- Primary Documents of the Cuban Missile Crisis -- Annotated Bibliography -- Index