KES Historians Attend Lecture by Max Hastings

Just before Half Term 15 students from Years 11 and 13 attended Max Hasting's lecture at Toppings, marking the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Hastings spoke powerfully of the blasé attitude towards nuclear annihilation that his top generals espoused, and of the level-headed statesmanship displayed by both Khrushchev and, particularly, Kennedy, in defusing the drama. Head of the Air Force Maxwell Taylor, for instance, had a worryingly simple attitude to solving the conflict if the Russians struck first. “Go to general war,” Taylor pronounced, “assuming we have time for it.” “You mean nuclear exchange?” the President responded, shocked. “Guess you have to,” Taylor replied. Thankfully, Kennedy ignored the advice and searched hard for a different resolution.

Hastings drew compelling comparisons between the current Russian aggression in Ukraine and warned that a peaceful solution would not be as easy to find this time around. It was great to see these highly engaged pupils making links between past and present. 

Mr Ford, Head of History