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Blockade of Cuba
President Kennedy blockaded Cuba by the U.S Navy. Instead of using the word "blockade", Kennedy used the word "quarantine". International law considered that a blockade was an act of war. -
Blockade announcement
Kennedy announced on television that the Soviets were installing nuclear missiles in Cuba. Then he told them about the plan of enforcing a quarantine until the missiles were removed. -
Castro's Order
Castro ordered mobilization of 270,000 Cuban soldiers because he anticipated a U.S invasion. -
Khrushchev's Reaction
Khrushchev destroyed the blockade, which violated international law. He kept the missiles in Cuba and said that the missiles were for "defensive purposes, in order to secure the Cuban republic from an aggressor’s attack." He warned that military agression would lead to nuclear war. -
Naval Quarantine Takes Effect
Khrushchev ordered Soviet ships to go to the quarantine line. He threatened to sink any of the U.S ships that tried to pass into Cuba. On the same day, U.S nuclear forces was put on DEFCON 2 alert by the government for the first time in history. -
Some Soviet's Turn Back
About a dozen Soviet ships turn back. Preparations at the missile sites accelerated. Soviets and Cubans started working 24/7 trying to make the missiles work. -
First letter from Khrushchev
Khrushchev wrote two letters to Kennedy. The first one was written by Khrushchev, telling Kennedy to avoid nuclear war. -
Shot Down
The Soviets shot down a a U.S. reconnaissance flight, killing the pilot. The day before, October 26, Castro ordered Cuban air defense forces to fire on any U.S. aircraft that flew within range. -
Second letter from Khrushchev
The second letter to Kennedy from Khrushchev was insisting that the United States remove its nuclear missiles from Turkey in return for a withdrawal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. Kennedy declared the demands from the second letter unacceptable. -
Kennedy's Response
Kennedy offered to "give assurances against the invasion of Cuba" and to remove the quarantine measures. Kennedy expected the Soviets to remove the missiles from Cuba. -
ExComm Meeting
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Castro
Castro reluctantly gave his assent to other aspects of the agreement.