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The Cuban Missile Crisis was a military confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union and Cuba that spanned thirteen days and is considered by many historians to be the height of Cold War tensions.
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Fast Facts
- Began: October 14, 1962
- Resolved peacefully on October 28, 1962
- Concluded with a Kennedy-Khrushchev agreement which involving the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba and the removal of American missiles from Turkey
- Only time in history the Strategic Air Command went to DEFCONN 2
- Cuba calls it "October Crisis"
- Russia calls it "Caribbean Crisis"
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Key Dates
- April 15, 1961: Bay of Pigs Invasion spurs Fidel Castro to upgrade Cuban military
- February, 1962: United States establishes trade embargo against Cuba
- May, 1962: Khrushchev sends Soviet-controlled nuclear warheads to Cuba
- October 14: U.S. U-2 reconnaissance flight discovers missiles in Cuba
- October 22: Kennedy addresses the nation about the missile discovery
- October 28: U.S. secretly removes missiles from Turkey; Soviets remove missiles from Cuba
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Reasons Against Invasion
The United States strongly considered an immediate attack on Cuba to destroy the missile sites, reasoning that the Soviets would not attempt to stop it. However, Kennedy feared it would create an excuse for Russia to attack Berlin, further escalating an international crisis. -
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Official Site: Cuban Missile Crisis
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Yale Law School: Avalon Project
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CNN: Brinksmanship: You Make the Call
cnn.com -
Wikipedia: Cuban Missile Crisis
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National Security Archive: Cuban Missile Crisis
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Article: Learning from the Missile Crisis
smithsonianmag.com -
Video: Kennedy's Cuban Missile Address (Time: 3:04)
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Official Site: Cuban Missile Crisis
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Cuban Missile Crisis on Amazon | View All
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Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis - $13.95
The unique, gripping account of the perilous showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the thirteen days in October 1962 when the United States confronted the Soviet Union over its installation of missiles in Cuba, few...
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Castro's Cuba - 15 Newsreels Documenting Fidel Castro and His Actions From 1959 to 1962 Including the Cuban Missile Crisis - $12.95
This collection of 15 early Fidel Castro newsreels follows his rise to power in 1950 through the dramatic missile crisis in 1962. The compilation is 44 minutes long and it is in English. Here are highlights of what is covered in thi...
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The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Concise History - $19.95
In The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Concise History, Don Munton and David A. Welch distill the best current scholarship on the Cuban missile crisis into a brief narrative history. The authors draw on newly available documents to provide a compre...
Amazon
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Cuban Missile Crisis on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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Topaz. 1969 thriller w/Frederick Stafford, John Forsythe. French agent tangled in US-Russian Cold War politics during Cuban missile crisis.
@Retrowarehouse | November 10, 2009 02:44 AM -
Oh god I just want to stay home from uni and play Modern Warfare 2 tomorrow! But ach, The Cuban Missile Crisis won't explain itself...
@MyGlasses | November 10, 2009 12:45 AM -
tomorrow: art of war lecture, cuban missile crisis research in the library, imperial war museum for even more work.
@electricnightx | November 09, 2009 10:37 PM -
@0ddS0cksMyElb0w My father was at sea on a trawler when the Cuban Missile Crisis kicked off
@Verence71 | November 09, 2009 09:22 PM -
i know EVERYONE'S doing their essay on the Cuban Missile Crisis, but really.. it's the easiest one... so i'll do it too... LOL
@electricnightx | November 09, 2009 08:33 PM
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Questions and Answers About Cuban Missile Crisis | View All | Ask a Question
View All Cuban Missile Crisis Questions (131) | Ask a QuestionDo you think North Korea will launch nukes on America's birthday like they said? (2 Answers)It is unlikely they will launch nuclear weapons at the US. In fact it would be the dumbest thing North Korea can do right now. First of all, North Korea ... read moreWhich states do not face a state budget crisis? (1 Answer)There are many states with little to no deficit. Here is a map from CNN that shows states' financial statuses: http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/gapmap/index.htm You can put your mouse over a state for ... read moreWhat is the value of the U.S. ballistic missile defense elements planned in the Europe for Europe itself? (2 Answers)I am not sure I understand your question but that may be because I am not well versed in military weaponry. However, I have included several link that may answer ... read moreIs there a serious crisis/weakness in the United States technology management talent pool? (1 Answer)Yes, its bad. I'm not to sure about the education issue but I think that the biggest issues facing IT businesses are security, reliability, and privacy. And most managers don't ... read more
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Cuban Missile Crisis Timeline
- October 14, 1962: U-2 over western Cuba discovers missile sites and takes photographs.
- October 16, 1962: President Kennedy is told of the photos and calls a meeting whose body of members is later referred to as EXCOMM. Members discuss plans of action.
- October 17, 1962: The Joint Chiefs recommend an air strike. U-2 planes discover more missiles in Cuba.
- October 18, 1962: Kennedy and Andrei Gromyko meet. Gromyko insists the missiles are for defense of Cuba.
- October 20, 1962: Kennedy orders a "quarantine" of Cuba.
- October 21, 1962: U-2s discover missiles are assembled quickly and cruise missile sites are being built along the shore.
- October 22, 1962: Congressional leaders meet with Kennedy. The President addresses the nation. US Military goes to DEFCON 3. The US military base at Guantanamo Bay is reinforced with Marines.
- October 23, 1962: Khrushchev sends Kennedy a letter stating there is a serious threat to peace and security of peoples. Kennedy decides to give Khrushchev more time.
- October 24, 1962: US Military goes to DEFCON 2, the highest in military history.
- October 25, 1962: Kennedy sends a letter to Khrushchev laying the blame on Russia. EXCOMM discusses withdrawing missiles from Turkey in exchange for Russia withdrawing from Cuba.
- October 26, 1962: The CIA reports there is no halt in missile preparedness in Cuba. Khrushchev sends Kennedy a letter stating Russia will withdraw from Cuba is Kennedy announces publicly that the US will never invade Cuba.
- October 27, 1962: Khrushchev sends a letter to Kennedy proposing the Russian missiles in Cuba be traded for the US missiles in Turkey. A U-2 is shot down over Cuba, killing the pilot. Kennedy sends Khrushchev a letter stating that if Russian missiles withdraw from Cuba he will release a statement that the US will not invade Cuba.
- October 28, 1962: Khrushchev announces on Radio Moscow that he has agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba.
