oct 16, 1962 - Cuban Missle Crisis

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For thirteen days in October 1962, the world waited seemingly on the brink of nuclear war, and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In October 1962, an American U-2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. President Kennedy did not want the Soviet Union and Cuba to know that he had discovered the missiles. He met in secret with his advisors for several days to discuss the problem. The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. After extensive consultation with his foreign policy and military advisers, Kennedy blockaded Cuba on October 22, 1962. The two sides stood on the brink of nuclear war, but Khrushchev capitulated six days later and the missiles were dismantled. In return, Kennedy disbanded its own missile sites in Turkey.

JFK and Vietnam: The September 1963 TV Interviews | JFK Library
The Cuban Missile Crisis - Short History - Department History - Office of the Historian
Cuban Missile Crisis | JFK Library

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