The Cuban Missile Crisis began in October 1962 when U.S. reconnaissance photos revealed the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. President Kennedy imposed a naval blockade of Cuba and demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles. Over the following two weeks, Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev engaged in tense negotiations to avoid nuclear war, with Khrushchev eventually agreeing to remove the missiles in exchange for Kennedy's promise not to invade Cuba. The crisis ended on October 28th when Khrushchev announced that the Soviet Union would dismantle the missile sites and return the weapons to the USSR.

1. THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
OCTOBER, 1 962
by Segizbayeva Banu

2. The Cuban Missile Crisis, of October, 1962, was aconflict between the
United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This crisis could have
possibly lead to the first nuclear war. The Soviet Union tailed the United States in
the Arms Race and their missiles were not powerful enough to be launched against
the United States.President JohnF
.Kennedy claimed that the United Stateshad
fewer missiles than the Soviet Union, but Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev still
felt wary. As Premier of Cuba,Fidel Castro, searchedfor away to keep his nation
safefrom aU.S.attack.As aresult, Castro approved Khrushchev’s idea to station
missile sites in Cuba. The Soviet Union secretly built these sites during the summer
of 1962.
On October 15,1962, photographs of the Soviet’s missile sites were revealed
to the United States. President Kennedy was b. riefed on the missile installations
the next day. He quickly called a meeting of his twelve most important advisors to
deal with the crisis. Over time they discussed possible ways to handle the situation.
These included:
1. Doing nothing.
2. Negotiate.
3. Invade.
The Cuban Missile
Crisis

3. 4. Quarantine of Cuba.
2. Bomb missile bases
3. Nuclear weapons.
The Cuban Missile
Crisis
Khrushchev and Kennedy made negotiations amongst themselves and finally
reached a desicion. On October 28, 1962, they agreed to remove all missiles and put
the crisis to rest.

4. PresidentJohnF
.Ken
.n
.edy
During the Cuban Missile Crisis
President John F. Kennedy was in
office. One cause of this crisis was due
to a missile gap President Kennedy
spoke of during his campaign in 1960.
Although the United States had more
missiles than the Soviet Union, he
stated otherwise.
As President, it was up to
Kennedy to decide whether or not to
react to the serious nuclear threat from
the Soviet Union. He agreed never to
invade Cuba and remove all missiles
stationed in Turkey in order to bring the
Cuban Missile Crisis to an end.

5. Nikita Khrushchev
Premier Nikita Khrushchev was First
Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union. The Soviet feared attack from the United
States because they did not have missiles
powerful enough to be launched against the
country. Khrushchev produced aplan to place
intermediate-range missiles in Cuba to
reestablish the balance of power in the Cold
War.
Nikita Khrushchev had no intentions of
starting awar but he knew the United States was
serious about an attack. He worked with
President Kennedy to end the crisis. High
Communist party officials were displeased with
the agreement between the two and two years
later, after further discontent, he was removed
from office.

6. Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro became
dictator of Cuba in 1959. W hen
Castro came into office, Cuba’s
relations with the United States
weakened. President Kennedy
attempted to overthrow Castor in
the Bays of Pigs Invasion, but
failed. It did, however make him
take precautions for another
United States attack.
When N ikita Khrushchev
proposed his idea to place nuclear
missiles in Cuba, Castro approved.
As dictator of Cuba, he did not
have a big role in the Cuban Missile
Crisis. Furthermore, he did not
have much say so in the outcome
of the event.

7. Causes
The two main causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis were due to the Soviet Union.
The felt insecure and the feared losing Cuba in an attack. Before the United States
presidential election John F. Kennedy repeatedly spoke of a missile gap between the
two nations. The Pentagon reported to the Soviet Union that the U.S.hadmore
missiles but Kennedy stood behind his words. After Kennedy was elected president,
NikitaKhrushchev began to “test” him. In response to his actions, the Kennedy
Administration felt to reveal to Khrushchev that there was no missile gap. The
Americans now knew that Khrushchev had always known they had more missiles.
Nikita Khrushchev felt as if he was surrounded by enemies. Since the Soviet Union lost
the arms race so badly, he worried of an attack by the U.S. This lead him to conceive
the idea of placing missile sites in Cuba with hopes of countering the United States’
lead in anuclear attack.
When Fidel Castro cameinto power, the U.S.mademultiple attempts to rid of
him. These attempts included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, which failed, a military exercise
in 1962, and amock invasion of a Caribbean island. The United States also developed a
planto invadeCuba in order to makeCastro nervous. The CIA too tried to destroy
Castro’s government. As aresult, Castro wasassuredthe U.S.wasserious about
invading Cuba.

8. This map shows missile sites in Cuba and their range.

9. Conclusion
The Cuban Missile Crisis began to come to a halt on October 28, 1962. By this
time, the United Stateshadnot yet taken anymilitary action. After discussions
between the Soviet Union and Kennedy’s advisors, an agreement was reached.
President Kennedy agreed to dismantle all U.S. missiles stationed in Turkey.
Khrushchev too agreedto remove all missilesin Cuba.Nikita Khrushchev also
wanted Kennedy to publicly announceto never invadeCuba.Becausehedid not
announce it publicly, he was said to have lost and become weakened. Khrushchev’s
announcement was made on the radio. He said:
“The Soviet governement . . . has issued a new order to the
dismantling of the weapons which you desrcibe as ‘offensive’
and their crating and return to the Soviet Union.”
Since no military action was taken, there was no destruction. Khrushchev and
Kennedy tried their best to avoid war. The people in both Kennedy and
Khrushchev’s government did not completely agree with their decisions not to take
action. It did, however, keep the lives of their country’s citizens of out of danger. By
November 21, all missiles had been completely removed.

10. U- 2 ( Spy Pl ane )
we re us e d t o c apt ure
Spy pl anes , s uch as t hi s one,
phot os of t he mis s i l e s i t e s i n Cuba.

11. Timeli
ne
January 1, 1959
Fidel Castro
assumes power
in Cuba.
January 3, 1961
U.S. rids of
diplomatic and
consular relation
with Cuba.
April 12, 1961
Kennedy pledges the
U.S. will not use
military force to
overthrow Castro.
April 15-19, 1961
Bay of Pigs Invasion
June 4, 1961
Kennedy and
Khrushchev meet for
the first time at the
Vienna Summit
August 10, 1962
Kennedy receives word
that Soviet middle-range
missiles are supposedly
being based in Cuba
August 31,1962
There is evidence of
Soviet missile
installations
October 14, 1962
U-2 flew over
western Cuba and
discovered missile
sites
October 16, 1962
Kennedy holds a meeting
with advisors to discuss
what actions should be
taken against Cuba
October 17, 1962
Intermediate-range nuclear
missiles are discovered

12. Timeli
ne
October 18, 1962
Kennedy and
Soviet Foreign
Minister Andrie
Gromyko meet
October 20, 1962
Kennedy met with EX-
COMM to discuss the
speeches he was to give
and the idea of a blockade
on Cuba
October 21, 1962
Kennedy decides on
a quarantine of Cuba
October 22, 1962
Kennedy tells the public
of the missile sites in
Cuba in a televised
speech
October 23, 1962
Kennedy receives a
letter from Khrushchev
October 26, 1962
Khrushchev sends
Kennedy another letter
proposing to remove
Soviet missiles if he
publicly announces to
never invade Cuba
October 27, 1962
An American U-2 was
down over Cuba, a U-2
flew off course over
Russia, and another
letter was received form
Khrushchev
October 28, 1962
Khrushchev announces
to remove all missiles
from Cuba
November 20, 1962
Planes were officially
removed and
returned to the
U.S.S.R
November 21, 1962
Kennedy formally
ended the quarantine

13. EX-COMM Meeting
M
e e t i ng of Pr es i dent Ke nne dy a nd hi s a dvi s or s
di s cus s i ng pos s i bl e wa ys t o handl e t he c r i s i s .

14. From
Khrushchev
to Kennedy

15. One site where nuclearmissileswere placed.

16. Bibliography
• "Fourteen Days in October: the Cuban Missile Crisis." ThinkQuest.
25 Apr. 2008 <http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/>.
• "Cuban Missile Crisis." Wikipedia. 11 May 2008. 25 Apr. 2008
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis>.
• Goldman, Jerry, and Stein, Giel. "The Cuban Missile Crisis, October
18-29, 1962." History and Politics Out Loud. 8 Oct. 1997. 1 May
2008 <http://www.hpol.org/jfk/cuban/>.
• Medina, Loreata M. The Cuban Missile Crisis. San Diego:
Greenhaven P, 2002. 1-123.
• "The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: 40th Anniversary." 13 May 2008
<http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/>.