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Almost History Close Calls, Plan B's, and Twists of Fate in America's Past
Almost History Close Calls Plan B's and Twists of Fate in America's Past Author:Roger Burns Playing the historical what-if game is usually an exercise in absurdity and futility, but it can also be fun. We can never know what would have happened if Hitler had invaded Britain, but playing around with the various scenarios is often quite stimulating. As this compilation shows, it is not only scholars and armchair military strategists who ... more »indulge in this game. Political and military leaders must consider a variety of outcomes before the fact, and they must prepare for the worst. Bruns, a deputy director of the National Archives, provides readers with some of the documents recording and explaining events that never happened. Some of these documents, such as Eisenhower's acknowledgment of the failure of the Normandy invasion, are already well known. Others, such as Nixon's speech eulogizing the stranded Apollo XI astronauts, are both unsettling and poignant. This consistently fascinating collection of documents, missed opportunities, and possible "might have beens" reminds us how fate rests on slender threads.« less