BOOKS: When the World Was on the Brink of Nuclear War; the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Threat of Nuclear War: Lessons from History. by Len Scott. Continuum. Pounds 25. Reviewed by STUART LEE

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Byline: STUART LEE

Weapons of mass destruction have terrified politicians and the public for decades, and the current global anxiety surrounding terrorist groups and unstable governments has served to increase the international pressure for nuclear disarmament.

But it is the Cuban missile crisis, one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Cold War, that remains one of the important period of history.

A complete picture of the crisis, which took place over 14 days in October 1962, will only be achieved once official documents become declassified, and researchers can begin to untangle the story that saw US President John F Kennedy and Soviet Premier …