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Kennedy’s October 22 address caught the Soviet government off guard.
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In Moscow, Khrushchev’s first reaction was anger. On October 23, he blasted the U.S. quarantine of Cuba as a violation of international law
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The U.S. naval quarantine went into effect October 24. Initially, Khrushchev ordered Soviet ships to race toward the quarantine line. The Soviets threatened to sink any U.S.
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. 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.
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The first letter, received October 26, was an emotional appeal apparently composed by Khrushchev himself, calling on Kennedy to avoid the catastrophe of nuclear war.
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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.
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On October 27, a second letter arrived signed by Khrushchev.
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On the evening of October 27, the president offered to “give assurances against the invasion of Cuba” and to “remove promptly” the quarantine measures that were in effect
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On October 27, Khrushchev received President Kennedy’s letter and Ambassador Dobrynin’s report of his meeting with Robert Kennedy.