In July 1962, in an effort to preserve an accurate record of Presidential decision-making in a highly charged atmosphere of conflicting viewpoints, strategies and tactics, John F. Kennedy installed hidden recording systems in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet Room. Ted Widmer has selected the most compelling and important of these remarkable recordings, collected here on two 75-minute CDs. Accompanied by extensively annotated transcripts of the recordings, and with a foreword by Caroline Kennedy, this set delivers the story behind the story for the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, Vietnam, and the arms race, and offers fascinating glimpses into the methods of a brilliant president and his inner circle.