Written by Background: The Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were at an all-time high in the early 1960s. The U.S. had placed nuclear missiles in Turkey, close to the Soviet Union, which led to increasing tension.
What Happened: The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 16, 1962, when U.S. reconnaissance aircraft captured images of Soviet ballistic missile installations under construction in Cuba. These missiles, once operational, would have the capacity to deliver nuclear warheads to most parts of the United States, significantly altering the balance of power between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. President John F. Kennedy was immediately informed of the threat, and he convened a special group of advisors known as the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm) to deliberate on an appropriate response. After much debate, Kennedy opted for a naval blockade of Cuba, which was euphemistically referred to as a “quarantine.” The term was chosen to avoid the connotation of an act of war, which could have escalated tensions further. Kennedy’s public announcement on October 22, 1962, that the U.S. was enforcing a naval quarantine and demanding the dismantling of the missile sites brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. For nearly two weeks, the United States and the Soviet Union faced off, with Soviet ships headed towards Cuba and American naval forces ready to intercept them. In addition to the naval blockade, the U.S. also prepared for a potential military invasion of Cuba and increased its nuclear forces to DEFCON 2, the highest level ever during the Cold War. Behind the scenes, intense negotiations took place between the White House and the Kremlin. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev initially refused to remove the missiles, but on October 28, 1962, he finally agreed to dismantle them in exchange for a public U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba and a secret agreement to remove American missiles from Turkey, which threatened the Soviet Union. The resolution of the crisis was a relief to the entire world, which had watched anxiously as the prospect of a nuclear war seemed increasingly likely.
Impact for the Future: The Cuban Missile Crisis was a turning point in the Cold War. It showed both superpowers how close they had come to mutual destruction, leading to the establishment of a direct communication line between Washington and Moscow, known as the “hotline.” It also spurred efforts towards arms control, resulting in treaties like the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, ultimately reducing the risk of nuclear confrontation.