"Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Fred Kaplan takes us into the White House Situation Room, the Joint Chiefs of Staff's "Tank" in the Pentagon, and the vast chambers of Strategic Command in Omaha to bring us the untold stories--based on exclusive interviews and previously classified documents--of how America's presidents and generals have thought about, threatened, broached, and, in some cases, just barely avoided nuclear war from the dawn of the atomic age until now." -- Front flap.

"Killing a nation" -- The race begins -- The crises -- "This goddamn poker game" -- Madman theories -- Bargaining chips -- "A super idea" -- Pulling back the curtain -- "A shrimp among whales" -- "Let's stipulate that this is all insane" -- "Fire and fury".