Presidential historian Dallek analyzes the brain trust whose contributions to the successes and failures of Kennedy's administration--including the Bay of Pigs, civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam--were indelible. The author delivers a striking portrait of a leader whose wise resistance to pressure and adherence to principle offers a cautionary tale for our own time.

John F. Kennedy: prelude to a presidency -- Robert F. Kennedy: adviser-in-chief -- "A ministry of talent" -- "Never rely on the experts -- "Roughest thing in my life" -- Advice and dissent -- "The greatest adventure of our century" -- If we listen to them, none of us will be alive -- "Mankind must put an end to war" -- "The two of you did visit the same country, didn't you?" -- Epilogue: "What he is slated to become depends on us".