Mind-sets and Missiles: A First Hand Account of the Cuban Missile Crisis
About this ebook
As both a student of and key participant in the events of the crisis, the author is able to provide in-depth analysis of the failures and successes of the national intelligence community and executive leadership during the build-up to the confrontation, and the risky but successful actions which led to its peaceful settlement. From his analysis, the author suggests considerations relevant to the collection, analysis, and use of intelligence which have continuing application.
About the author
Kenneth Michael Absher (May 24, 1935 - August 25, 2012) was born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He attended Alamo Heights and Texas Military Institute before graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1953. He received a BA in Philosophy from Princeton University in 1957. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army for two years, as well as the 36th Division, Texas National Guard, and was honorably discharged in 1963.
In 1961 Absher moved to Washington, D.C. to begin his career with the Central Intelligence Agency, serving over 31 years in the Directorate of Operations, now known as the National Clandestine Service. During his career, he served in Western Europe, the Caribbean and Indochina and provided direct intelligence support to the U.S. handling major Cold War events, including the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis; the Vietnam War; and the break-up of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. He retired in 1993 as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service.
Following retirement he taught at the University of Texas at San Antonio and, from 1997-2002, at the National Defense Intelligence College in Washington, D.C. He served on the Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Antonio and in 2005 was appointed by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to three accountability review boards to investigate terrorist attacks in Iraq, which killed eleven U.S. mission personnel. He then served as Fellow of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs and adjunct faculty member at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.
Absher held the Medal for Civilian Service in Vietnam; a Certificate for Exceptional Service Under Conditions of Hazard or Hardship; four Meritorious Unit Citations; and three Superior Performance Awards. He was twice awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit.
He passed away in Bryan, Texas in 2012 aged 77.
