Cuban Missile Crisis

Setting the scene

By 1962, the Cold War was at its peak. The United States had deployed Jupiter nuclear missiles in Turkey, on the Soviet border, in 1961. The Soviet Union, led by Nikita Khrushchev, sought to counter this and protect Cuba, which had become a communist ally after the 1959 revolution and had survived the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. In May 1962, Khrushchev secretly decided to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, 90 miles from Florida. The missiles could hit Washington D.C. in minutes, dramatically altering the nuclear balance.

What happened

On October 14, 1962, a U-2 spy plane photographed Soviet missile sites in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy was briefed on October 16. For 13 days, the world teetered on nuclear war. Kennedy rejected air strikes and invasion, choosing a naval 'quarantine' (blockade) announced on October 22. The U.S. demanded Soviet withdrawal. On October 24, Soviet ships approached the blockade line but turned back. On October 26, Khrushchev offered to remove missiles if the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba. On October 27, a U-2 was shot down over Cuba, and another strayed into Soviet airspace. Kennedy secretly agreed to also remove U.S. missiles from Turkey.

Why it still matters

On October 28, Khrushchev announced he would dismantle the missiles. The crisis ended, but the world had come closer to nuclear war than ever before or since. The crisis led to the Moscow-Washington hotline and the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963. It demonstrated the dangers of nuclear brinkmanship and the importance of back-channel diplomacy—Kennedy and Khrushchev communicated through letters and intermediaries. The crisis humiliated Khrushchev, contributing to his ouster in 1964, and convinced Kennedy of the need for détente. It remains the definitive example of nuclear deterrence and crisis management, studied by every subsequent president.

Background

A negotiated settlement led to missile withdrawals on both sides.