Talk at the Brink: Deliberation and Decision during the Cuban Missile Crisis

Description

In October 1962, the fate of the world hung on the American response to the discovery of Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba. That response was informed by hours of discussions between John F Kennedy and his top advisers. This title reveals how conversational practices and dynamics shaped Kennedy's perception of the options available to him.

David R. Gibson is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Winner of the 2013 Melvin Pollner Prize, Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis Section of the American Sociological Association