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the blockade of cuba
President Kennedy decided on a blockade of Cuba by the U.S. Navy to prevent further shipments of military supplies to the island -
nuclear missle
On the evening of October 22, Kennedy announced in a televised speech to the American public that the Soviets were installing nuclear missiles in Cuba. -
Off Guard
Kennedy’s October 22 address caught the Soviet government off guard. -
violating law
On October 23, he blasted the U.S. quarantine of Cuba as a violation of international law. -
U.S. naval
The U.S. naval quarantine went into effect October 24 -
turning back
On October 25, at least a dozen Soviet ships en route to Cuba turned back, but preparations at the missile sites on the island accelerated. Soviets and Cubans started working around the clock to make the missiles operational. -
first letter
The first letter, was an emotional appeal apparently composed by Khrushchev himself, calling on Kennedy to avoid the catastrophe of nuclear war -
killing pilot
War seemed even more likely when Soviet forces shot down a U.S. reconnaissance flight over Cuba on October 27, killing the pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson. -
castro
October 28, Castro kept Cuba on a war footing