#nikita khrushchev
On October 28, 1962, the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end. In the late hours of October 27, Robert Kennedy secretly met with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, and the two reached a basic understanding:
The Soviet Union would withdraw the missiles from Cuba under United Nations supervision in exchange for an American pledge not to invade Cuba. In an additional secret understanding, the United States agreed to eventually remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
October 24, 1962 – Day 9 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Nikita Khrushchev writes an incensed response to President Kennedy’s October 23rd letter announcing the naval quarantine of Cuba.
Dear Mr. President:
I have received your letter of October 23, have studied it, and am answering you.
Just imagine, Mr. President, that we had presented you with the conditions of an ultimatum which you have presented us by your action. How would you have reacted to this? I think that you would have been indignant at such a step on our part. And this would have been understandable to us.
In presenting us with these conditions, you, Mr. President, have flung a challenge at us. Who asked you to do this?
October 22, 1962 – Day 7 of the Cuban Missile Crisis
At 7:00 p.m. President Kennedy makes a televised address, revealing the evidence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and calling for their removal. He also announces the establishment of a naval quarantine around the island until the Soviet Union agrees to dismantle the missile sites and to make certain that no additional missiles are shipped to Cuba. Near the conclusion of his speech, JFK says this:
“My fellow citizens: let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort on which we have set out. No one can see precisely what course it will take or what costs or casualties will be incurred. Many months of sacrifice and self-discipline lie ahead–months in which our patience and our will will be tested–months in which many threats and denunciations will keep us aware of our dangers. But the greatest danger of all would be to do nothing.”
Listen to JFK’s address and read the full transcript, or view the press release and his reading copy.
At 8:45 AM on October 16, 1962, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy alerted President Kennedy that a major international crisis was at hand. Two days earlier, a United States military surveillance aircraft had taken hundreds of aerial photographs of Cuba, which showed conclusive evidence that a Soviet missile base was under construction near San Cristobal, Cuba.
Discussions began on how to respond to the challenge. Two principal courses were offered: an air strike and invasion, or a naval quarantine with the threat of further military action. To avoid arousing public concern, President Kennedy maintained his official schedule, meeting periodically with advisors to discuss the status of events in Cuba and possible strategies.
