The improbable triumvirate

From the book's dust jacket: The Improbable Triumvirate KENNEDY-KHRUSHCHEV-POPE JOHN An Asterisk to the History of a Hopeful Year, 1962-1963 Norman Cousins For thirteen months—beginning with the resolution of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962 and ending with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963—a new spirit of optimism was at work in the world. The dramatic end of that crisis signaled an upturn in the prospects for peace. Three men came to symbolize these new prospects—President Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, and Pope John. This book deals with some of the little-known footnotes to the history of that hopeful year, especially as it bears upon the interaction of the three leaders. It is mostly a human-interest story, for it shows what great changes can come about in the world when leaders look beyond ideological dogma and national interest to human interest, and when they are willing to assume political risks in the pursuit of peace. The book tells of some remarkable exchanges between Pope John and Premier Khrushchev. It was the Pope who took the initiative in establishing direct contacts between the Vatican and the Kremlin. A specific result of this was the release, after years of internment, of two archbishops. Mr. Cousins was chosen as an emissary of the Vatican to negotiate the release. During this time, President Kennedy asked Mr. Cousins to play a role in the preliminary negotiations for an agreement to halt testing of nuclear weapons. The book deals with the role of public opinion in making the nuclear test-ban treaty possible. As an outgrowth of the experiences related here, Mr. Cousins was asked by the president to work on the campaign for ratification of the treaty. This book provides an account of that work.