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Day 1 - Evidence of missile sites.
An American U-2 spy plane secretly photographs nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba -
Day 2 - American Military Prepares for Action
American military units begin moving to bases in the Southeastern U.S. as intelligence photos from another U-2 flight show additional sites and 16 to 32 missiles. -
Day 3 - U.S. And Soviet Union Begin Chess Match
President Kennedy is visited by Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, who says that Soviet aid to Cuba is purely defensive and does not represent a threat to the United States. Kennedy, without revealing what he knows of the existence of the missiles, reads to Gromyko his public warning of September 4 that the "gravest consequences" would follow if significant Soviet offensive weapons were introduced into Cuba. -
Day 4- US Advisors Consider Course of Action
President Kennedy leaves for a scheduled campaign trip to Ohio and Illinois. In Washington, his advisers continue the debate what might be the appropriate course of action. -
Day 5- U.S. Strategy Develops
To avoid public suspicion, the President consults his doctor and together they create the story of the President having a cold. This allowed JFK to return to Washington DC without causing panic. After five hours of discussion with top advisers, JFK decides on the blockade of Cuba. Plans for deploying naval units are drawn up, and work is begun on a speech to notify the American people. -
Day 6- U.S. Decides Against Air Strike
After attending Mass at St. Stephen's Church with Mrs. Kennedy, the President meets with General Walter Sweeney of the Tactical Air Command who tells him that an air strike could not guarantee 100% destruction of the missiles. -
Day 7- Kennedy Tells the World about the Crisis
President Kennedy phones former Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower to brief them on the situation. JFK tells the Executive Committee of the National Security Council to meet daily during the crisis. Kennedy briefs the cabinet and congressional leaders on the situation. He also informs British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan of the situation by telephone. President Kennedy writes to Nikita Khrushchev, Premier of the Soviet Union, that he did not believe Khrushchev wanted to result in cata. -
Day 8- Crisis Escalates
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Edwin Martin seeks a resolution of support from the Organization of American States. Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson lays the matter before the U.N. Security Council. President Kennedy signs Proclamation 3504, which authorizes the naval blockade of Cuba. The ships of the naval quarantine fleet move into place around Cuba. Soviet submarines threaten the quarantine by moving into the Caribbean area. In the evening Attorney Ge -
Day 9- Soviet Union Threatens
Chairman Khrushchev replies to President Kennedy's letter. He states that:
"You, Mr. President, are not declaring a quarantine, but rather are setting forth an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to your demands you will use force. Consider what you are saying! And you want to persuade me to agree to this! What would it mean to agree to these demands? It would mean guiding oneself in one's relations with other countries not by reason, but by submitting to arbitrariness. -
Day 10- Diplomacy Continues
The President is aware that some missiles in Cuba are operational, and he drafts another letter to Premier Khrushchev. He again urges Khrushchev to change the course of events. Meanwhile, Soviet boats heading for Cuba turn and head back to Europe. One ship, the Bucharest, which is carrying only oil, is allowed through the quarantine line. U.N. Secretary General U Thant calls for a cooling off period. This is rejected by Kennedy because it would leave the missiles in place. -
Day 11- Tentative Proposals Made
Photographs show additional construction of the missile sites and the uncrating of Soviet IL-28 bombers at Cuban airfields. In a private letter, Fidel Castro of Cuba asks Khrushchev to initiate a nuclear first strike against the U.S. in the event of an American invasion of Cuba. John Scali, ABC News reporter, is approached by Aleksander Fomin of the Soviet embassy staff with a proposal for a solution to the crisis. In a long letter, Khrushchev makes a similar offer to Kennedy. -
Day 12- Crisis and Negotiations Continue
Khrushchev sends a second letter demanding the removal of obsolete Jupiter missiles from Turkey. An American U-2 plane is shot down over Cuba by a Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missile. The pilot, USAF Major Rudolph Anderson, is killed. President Kennedy writes a letter to the widow of Major Anderson. JFK offers condolences and informs her that her husband will receive the Distinguished Service Medal, posthumously. -
Day 13- Soviet Union Backs Down
Radio Moscow announces that the Soviet Union has accepted the proposed solution. Radio Moscow releases the text of a Khrushchev letter that states the missiles will be removed in exchange for a non-invasion pledge from the U.S. President Kennedy makes a public statement that the Cuban Missile Crisis has ended.
