Changes

:One thing that neeeds to be included here, is to dispell the false notion that this was a stand-off between Kennedy & Khruschev, each with their finger on the trigger.  In fact, it was the local Soviet commander on the ground in Cuba who had the power to authorize a nuclear launch ''without'' permission from Moscow.  [[User:RobS|RobS]] 13:14, 6 June 2007 (EDT)

:One thing that neeeds to be included here, is to dispell the false notion that this was a stand-off between Kennedy & Khruschev, each with their finger on the trigger.  In fact, it was the local Soviet commander on the ground in Cuba who had the power to authorize a nuclear launch ''without'' permission from Moscow.  [[User:RobS|RobS]] 13:14, 6 June 2007 (EDT)

::Yes, but it wouldn't seem right to say that Kreuschev and Moscow had no role in the decisions. He probably had the authority, but with the understand not to do so unless there was a move of force by the US, or upon word by Moscow. That may explain the Rudolph Anderson shootdown. This information might be good together in a section. Gotta go for now. [[User:Mskreuz|Mskreuz]] 14:16, 6 June 2007 (EDT)

::Yes, but it wouldn't seem right to say that Kreuschev and Moscow had no role in the decisions. He probably had the authority, but with the understand not to do so unless there was a move of force by the US, or upon word by Moscow. That may explain the Rudolph Anderson shootdown. This information might be good together in a section. Gotta go for now. [[User:Mskreuz|Mskreuz]] 14:16, 6 June 2007 (EDT)

:::Actually that's not the case at all.  Too often this crisis is portrayed as a confrontation between the two big men, Kennedy & Khruschev, staring each other down, with Khruschev being the first to blink.  This has led to a total misperception among the American public, espoused by the American media, of what the Soviet system was and how it operated.  Khurschev was not Kennedy's counterpart in this confrontation, with his finger on the trigger, being the last man who had the final decision to launch or not.  It was the Soviet commander on the ground in Cuba who was had the blank check to decide, should a threatening military situation arise, to nuke America to kingdom come.  This misperception of Soviet politics persists, and there has always been  unrealistic representations to the American people in US/Soviet Summits, that the Soviet counterpart has equal status with the US President, or that the Soviet system of decision making in military affairs was somewhat analagous to the US, the militiary being subordinated to the civilian, for example.  [[User:RobS|RobS]] 15:03, 6 June 2007 (EDT)

:::Actually that's not the case at all.  Too often this crisis is portrayed as a confrontation between the two big men, Kennedy & Khruschev, staring each other down, with Khruschev being the first to blink.  This has led to a total misperception among the American public, espoused by the American media, of what the Soviet system was and how it operated.  Khurschev was not Kennedy's counterpart in this confrontation, with his finger on the trigger, being the last man who had the final decision to launch or not.  It was the Soviet commander on the ground in Cuba who had the blank check to decide, should a threatening military situation arise, to nuke America to kingdom come.  This misperception of Soviet politics persists, and there has always been  unrealistic representations to the American people in US/Soviet Summits, that the Soviet counterpart has equal status with the US President, or that the Soviet system of decision making in military affairs was somewhat analagous to the US, the militiary being subordinated to the civilian, for example.  [[User:RobS|RobS]] 15:03, 6 June 2007 (EDT)