Berlin 1961

Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth

By: Frederick Kempe

Narrated by: Paul Hecht

Length: 20 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

A former Wall Street Journal editor and the current president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, Frederick Kempe draws on recently released documents and personal interviews to re-create the powder keg that was 1961 Berlin. In Cold War Berlin, the United States and the Soviet Union stand nose to nose, with the possibility of nuclear war just one misstep away.

©2011 Frederick Kempe (P)2011 Recorded Books

Important history well told

Any additional comments?

Easy to follow and well narrated. A story full of interesting insight with just enough relevant detail to fill up the canvas. A gut-wrenching tale of how close we came to nuclear war. A war prevented in spite of the foibles of men, skewed perceptions of the other, and the chance of history. The wall was an afterthought that came about due to its own momentum. A band-aid that held throughout the Cold War.

really interesting new facts interspersed w/ bias

This is an excellently performed and produced reading of great new facts about this time period- the sense of "storytelling" is excellent and mesmerizing. Every once in a while, it veers off into commentary that comes off as quite biased and jumping to conclusions that aren't based in those facts, and that may just be because of the author being Kempe and some neo-con influence. He'll say things along the lines of "kennedy misinterpreted what was going on so it was his fault", but all the info leading up to that statement make it clear that while that is obvious in hindsight, considering the nuclear threat, it wouldn't have been obvious at all at the time. Overall, one of the more interesting history books I've listened to recently, though.

hair raising times

Chilling depiction of Russian Communist bullying. Although the object of the bullying, in this book President Kennedy, is shown quaking in his boots, in all fairness, the alternatives to helplessly quaking could have been worse. What a pathetic stand was raised against truly horrific opponents and how poorly America dealt with very important international issues. A greater understanding of disparate cultures and international interconnections generally is greatly needed and still badly overlooked., This sad chapter in history should be mandatory reading.

Great historic value

Well worth the listen if you are interested in this time period. A great listen before a trip to Berlin! Made seeing sights very interesting.

Nice detail!

I only had a novice understanding of the first year of Kennedy’s administration- Bay of Pigs, Vienna, Berlin, etc. I thought this was a fresh take on some of the apologist views for Kennedy. What I walked away with was not a negative view of the young President, but yet another reminder that history is a complex thing. 50 years later the path is clear, but in 1961 things were much less so. I also liked that the author went into some depth on the contributing players, their roles, backgrounds, and perspectives- it made them (and the events) more three dimensional. I would recommend this book for anyone studying our 35th President. The Audible version was quite strong as well.

Authoritative and compelling

This is very well written as it takes you from the end of WWII to 1961. It can be a bit graphic on certain points but it outlined with exceptional detail the geopolitical chess board between Kennedy and Khrushchev. The best is how it puts you in the room with both men so that you see the conflict from both perspectives.

New Insights

Having grown up in America during the Cold War I have always searched for insightful historical reviews to understand that time period. I guess I was angry that as a child I had to hide under my desk for a nuclear strike & I wanted to understand why.
I heard also all the indoctrination about the “Communist Scare”. And false flag situations.
I believe any academic view of history should educate & increase better judgment. As history has shown, better judgment is clouded by intents not governed by honorable reasons and we still keep shaking our heads at the folly.

During this audible book I learned a deal more about Communism & perhaps why it was more serious than my knowledge provided over the years. Dear Mao was indeed out to find new countries, like Tibet in 1959. However the information provided here gave an insight into the competition going on between the USDR & China, and expansionist ideas.

The focus on West Berlin in this writing connected problems of the Kennedy Administration with the Cuban missile crisis. For all the mistakes President Kennedy may have made, I still applaud his thinking outside the war box. I would have liked to have seen in this how it would have been difficult to combat group think as a new president. I have heard he used few close advisors because thinking outside of war wasn’t a part of the solution being offered.

I still believe this offers fresh insight, in grand chronological order, to flesh out the issues so immense that faced a new president. I applaud the author. Well done.

Slow getting going, but just like a freight train-

Slow getting going, but just like a freight train- hard to stop.
The combination of first person accounts with historical hindsight assembles the puzzle of the cold war in the early 1960s in a way that hasn't been done before.
It is a little dry and slow to get into, but if you focus on it long enough it becomes a digital page turner.
Good read (or listen).

First rate history of often overlooked crisis

I give this book a 5 because it sustained an exciting narrative until the final scene. After going over every detail of the building cris over several months the author skips through the climatic showdown rather breezily. The epilogue reveals the authors neocon preferences for how Kennedy should have handled Berlin. Not a neocon myself but respect his points, worthy of debate. Highly recommend this book.

Interesting yet good for sleeping

This was a well researched, informative and well narrated audio book, My review title "Interesting yet good for sleeping" reflects the fact that I have developed two distinct lines of preference for audio books (and I have an extensive library and have listened to many).

The first type I am searching for is the "thoroughly engaging" e.g. I am on a long drive and so caught up in the story and narration that when I have arrived at my destination I don't want to stop, as I am so mentally enthralled by the listening experience that I want it to continue to the very end,

The second type I look for is the "informative sleep aid". That is, when the light goes out and my mind wants to find something to focus on, I want to listen to something that will be engaging enough to prevent my mind whirling, yet monotone enough to let me drift off to sleep (as I learn something new). This one fits the bill exactly - thus: "Interesting yet good for sleeping".

This was a very interesting insight into the entire Berlin Wall saga (and the human tragedies that ensued), how it almost triggered WW3, largely fuelled the Cold War period, showed the failings of a new, inexperienced and comparatively young president (JFK) and how the Soviets were viewing the mistakes of the West.

Well researched and well presented. Bravo!