Summary of Serhii Plokhy's Nuclear Folly

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president in 1961.

He was young and optimistic, and he projected that he was ready to chart a new course for his country and the world.

He wanted to pass the torch of moral leadership to Frost, who wrote a poem specifically for the inauguration.#2 Kennedy's vision was to create a new America, based on liberty, that would be brought into being through the dedication and sacrifice of American citizens.

He promised Latin American countries to convert our good words into good deeds and form a new alliance against poverty.#3 The American government entered the Cuban conflict in 1898 to protect the independence of Latin American countries, but also to extend American borders to include Cuba.

By far the most trusted American ally in the Cuban presidential office was General Fulgencio Batista, who served as president from 1940 to 1944.#4 The Castro brothers were released in May 1955, and began a new revolt against Batista in November 1956.

They landed illegally on a leaky yacht, the Granma, to start a new revolution.

The guerrilla warfare that would eventually bring down Batista began with a major setback.

Government troops attacked the Granma rebels soon after their landing, forcing them to seek refuge in the Sierra Maestra mountains of Oriente province, in southeastern Cuba.