Robert M. Slusser was a professor of Russian and Soviet history at Michigan State University. He also taught at Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University. He wrote a number of books on Russian history, including The Berlin Crisis of 1961: Soviet-American Relations and the Struggle for Power in the Kremlin, June-November 1961.

• IntroductionChapter 1. The Opening Phase: The Soviets Stake Their Claim Chapter 2. Framing a Western Position Chapter 3. The Soviets Increase the Pressure Chapter 4. The Western Riposte, June 29-July 25 Chapter 5. The Soviets Decide on the Minimum Objective Chapter 6. The West Looks for an Opening Chapter 7. Climax : The Soviets Act Chapter 8. The Collective Leadership Reviews the Situation Chapter 9. Second Climax: The Twenty-second Party Congress Glossary List of Works Cited Abbreviations of Works Most Frequently Cited Acknowledgments Subject Index Name Index

Demonstrates with admirable cogency that a well-founded interpretation [of the Kennedy-Khrushchev era] is possible . . . Lay[s] bare the workings of the Russian political process in the age of collective leadership.—Times Literary Supplement