"In Maximum Danger, Robert Weisbrot for the first time considers the Cuban missile crisis in the full context of history. He moves beyond now common interpretations to argue that John Kennedy in fact explored no new policy frontiers but instead faithfully reflected a remarkable cold war consensus.

Buffeted by partisan sniping, public opinion, and the force of policies inherited from the Eisenhower administration, Kennedy pursued a variety of options while trying to minimize confrontation with the Soviets to a degree consistent with his political survival. In Mr. Weisbrot's penetrating, carefully researched study, the president can be seen operating well within the traditional constraints of American policy.".

"By exploring the boundaries that national attitudes can impose on even the most popular leader, Maximum Danger bids to recover the historical figure of John Kennedy from the veils of myth, and to set the Cuban missile crisis in sharper perspective."--BOOK JACKET.