Words, as much as weapons, have shaped the course of history. Whether to avert, resolve, assist, or secure the outcome of a conflict, diplomacy in the modern age has had great triumphs and bitter failures ¿ from the Cuban Missile in 1962, which narrowly spared humanity from a nuclear Armageddon, to the treaty of Versailles after World War I, which created problems that still resound to this day. Drawing on primary sources, transcripts, and interviews, Great Negotiations tells the stories of eight key episodes in modern diplomacy. From Benjamin Franklin securing crucial French support for the American Revolution to Reagan and Gorbachev laying the groundwork to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons, this insightful and intelligent volume explains what each party brought to the negotiating table, what was at stake, the obstacles to success, and how these challenges were overcome.