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Aircraft reveals SS-4 nuclear missiles in Cuba
As a reconnaissance aircraft flyes overhead photo's were taken. The photos shot over Cuba are analyzed at the National Photographic Intelligence Center. The missiles are identified as surface-to-surface medium range ballistic missiles (MRBM). -
JFK and the EX-COMM consider options
John F Kennedy, who was the American President at the time, gets together with a team of advisors called "the Executive Committee of the National Security Council" (aka. the ExComm) to consider their options. -
Andrei denies having any Soviet weaponry on the island.
President Kennedy meets with Andrei Gromyko, the Soviet Foreign Minister, and informs him that America will not allow the existance of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Andrei contradicts having any Soviet weaponry on the island. -
Kennedy's recolection
President Kennedy makes his own personal recolection of the ExComm meeting -
Kennedy Departs
Kennedy unwillingly departs Washington for previously scheduled campaign speeches in the Midwest and West Coast. -
Long range soviet weapons are discovered
President Kennedy returns to Washington with news of discovery. He is informed by Robert Kennedy of Long range Soviet weapons.
There was a meeting that lasted 5 hours with the ExComm. The ExComm suggested Air raids but Kennedy was disgusted and wantted a resolution that does not entail conflict. Conflict could arouse Khrushchev to launch the missiles.
A blockade is discussed and acted upon. -
President Kennedy decides on a naval blockade of Cuba
Commander-in-chief of the Tactical Air Command, General Walter Sweeney, notifies President Kennedy that the air strike against the missile sites could result in 10,000 - 20,000 casualties. And so with no other resonable option, President Kennedy gives orders on a naval blockade of Cuba.
He asks the press not to release the story until after he has spoken to the public. -
President Kennedy makes a live broadcast to the world
President Kennedy addresses American public and tells them "This Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missiles sites is now in preparation of that imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere." -
First Letter
President Kennedy sends his first letter to Khrushchev. -
President Kennedy signs Proclamation 3504
President Kennedy signs Proclamation 3504 which is an authorisation of a naval quarantine in Cuba. There were 26 ships that were confirmed heading to Cuba from the USSR. Kennedy told the Ex-Comm that there was to be "No shooting without my explicit orders". -
DEFCON - 2
Soviet Ships reach American blockade but receive orders from Moscow to wait. America is taken to DEFCON - 2 the highest ever level of readiness. The Soviet and American ships are only a couple hundred meters away from each other. -
Adlai confronts a Soviets representative but he refuses to answer.
trying to avoid a war, President Kennedy got Adlai Stevenson, a US Ambassador to the UN, to confront Valerian Zorin, a Soviet Ambassaor. It was in an emergency meeting of the SC. He demanded Zorin to admit that there was in fact existence of the missiles. Valerian Zorin refused to answer. -
The trade
EX-COMM receives a letter from Khrushchev stating that they will remove the missiles if President Kennedy publicly guarantees to not invade Cuba. -
Khrushchev proposed a public trade
A new letter from Khrushchev comes, proposing a public trade of Soviet missiles in Cuba for US missile in Turkey. President accepts the trade!
