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Cuban Revolution
Guerilla rebels, including Fidel Castro, overthrew the current dictatorship in Cuba. Fidel Castro then took power as prime minister and turned it into the first communist country in the Western Hemisphere. This put a lot of pressure on the United States -
U.S. deploys nuclear missiles on Turkey
Intermediate range nuclear missiles from the U.S. were deployed on Turkey with the potential to reach Moscow. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The U.S. unsuccessfully attempted to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. They did this because relations worsened from Communism infiltrating the country and sugar and oil not being available anymore. While the U.S. had the CIA arm and anti-Castro Cubans exiles on their side, Cuba crushed the assault. This event, however, caused Cuba to lean to the Soviets for help in future invasions. -
Soviet Missiles Discovered
A U2 plane from the United States passed over Cuba and took a picture of a Soviet missile being developed in the countryside. -
Possibilities Discovered
At this time, President Kennedy was unaware of the missiles as the message has not reached him, but CIA analysts spot that the missiles have the range potential to hit the U.S.
Watch this video -
President Kennedy strategizes with Ex-Comm
Robert Namara, Secretary of Defense, presents three options to the President: Diplomacy with Castro and Khrushchev, a naval quarantine of Cuba, or an air attack to destroy the missiles, which could trigger a Soviet counterattack of Berlin. Kennedy chooses the quarantine. -
JFK addresses the American public
He explains what has happened and the plans that the U.S. has to deal with it.
Also, the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union gives the Soviets a letter from JFK warning about nuclear war. -
Khrushchev writes back
He replies that the missiles are "intended soley for defensive purposes."
When Kennedy receives this message, he reminds Khrushchev that he started started the crisis by his secretive sending of the missiles. -
Khrushchev accuses Kennedy
Another letter is sent by the Soviet Union, "You are no longer appealing to reason, but wish to intimidate us," -
Oil Tanker threatens war
Soviet arms freighters return to Europe, but and oil tanker named "Bucharest" continues for Cuba. If the U.S. would have intercepted it, war could have occurred. They, however, let it pass since there wasn't any contraband -
Castro urges for attack, Khrushchev relents
Castro sends a letter to Khrushchev urging for attack, but the Soviet Union disregarded this request and instead began to try and end this crisis and come to an agreement with Kennedy, so as to not "doom the world to the catastrophe of thermonuclear war." -
Both countries step back from brink of war
An American U-2 plane is shot as it flies over Cuba and JFK renders, "They've fired the first shot. We are now in an entirely new ball game." While he makes this dangerous remark, Kennedy concludes that this was not an order by the Soviets and merely an isolated incident.
Later, the two nations agree that if the U.S. removes missiles from Turkey, the Soviet Union will remove their missiles from Cuba. -
Crisis is over
Khrushchev promises to destroy the missiles in Cuba and this ends the Cuban Missile Crisis.