In the fall of 1962, the Soviet Union and the United States were on the verge of nuclear war for thirteen days. During the Caribbean crisis, the armed forces of the two countries were put on high alert, and the military considered a potential enemy through sights and guidance systems 24 hours a day. A tragic accident was enough for one of the politicians in Moscow, Washington or Havana to lose their nerves, and the death of tens of millions of people would be inevitable. The fate of the world depended on the decisions of only three people: the leader of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev, US President John F. Kennedy and the leader of the Cuban revolution Fidel Castro. In this book, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, the worst diplomatic and military crisis that has ever threatened humanity is analyzed. Khrushchev, Kennedy, and Castro, their governments, and the military, were trapped in ambition, mutual suspicion, threats, and an escalation of armed power. However, they found the strength to stop moments before the start of hostilities. Ultimatums were withdrawn. A compromise was found, thanks to which the threat of a nuclear apocalypse was pushed back by almost 60 years. Will today's politicians have enough wisdom to use the experience of resolving the Caribbean crisis with similar risks of global military conflict and find a way to peace? The author - Russian historian, publicist and public figure Vyacheslav Nikonov - expects that his modest work will not only be a warning, but will also help in finding a reasonable way out.