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Many believed that the Cold War would end with the ultimate bang. And for two weeks in October of 1962, their worst fears were almost realized. New research is shedding additional historical light on the tense and dangerous nuclear standoff between the US and USSR., with the tiny nation of Cuba in the middle. For the next two weeks, CONTEXT will look back on what we're learning with an eye toward the lessons that apply today. Our first segment, featuring, Timothy Naftali, provides insight on the epic tale from the perspectives of Havana and Moscow.

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/the-brink-part-1-the-cuban-missile-crisis-50-years-later

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Tim Naftali, currently a Senior Research Fellow with the New America Foundation, is an historian who studies leaders, power and international affairs. The author or co-author of four books, including "One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro and Kennedy, 1958-1964" and "Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism," Naftali was the first director of the federal Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Coming Soon: On the Brink Part 2

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Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

History and Public Policy Program

The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs.  Read more

Nuclear Proliferation International History Project

The Nuclear Proliferation International History Project is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews, and other empirical sources. At the Wilson Center, it is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more