8. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
In October, 1962, the Soviet Union, desperate to counter the growing number of America’s nuclear-powered and armed submarines, installed long-range ballistic missiles on the island of Cuba. The missiles gave the Soviets the ability to strike targets across the United States mainland, including most of its nuclear forces, before the Americans could react. The Soviets also objected to American nuclear missiles (Jupiters) in Turkey and Italy, which gave the Americans a similar quick-strike capability. In July, 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Cuba’s Fidel Castro met and agreed to begin the installation of the missiles in the fall. An American U-2 spy plane obtained the first confirmed images of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba on October 14, 1962.
For the next week, the Kennedy Administration and the Joint Chiefs of Staff considered alternatives and prepared a response to the Soviet action. Kennedy was adamant the missiles would be removed, but balked at military action such as bombing the sites or invading Cuba. The Joint Chiefs favored an invasion, and the head of the United States Air Force, Curtis LeMay, agitated for an immediate attack. The American people were not informed of the crisis or the existence of hostile nuclear weapons only ninety miles from Florida until the evening of October 22. At that time President Kennedy announced his intention to quarantine the island, stopping all ships approaching Cuba on the high seas, in international waters, and ordering any carrying offensive weapons or the components for their support to turn around.