Key Facts
- Duration
- 13 days (16–28 October 1962)
- US naval quarantine lifted
- 20 November 1962
- Soviet missiles deployed
- Medium- and long-range ballistic missiles in Cuba
- Key intelligence source
- U-2 spy plane photographs, October 1962
- Direct consequence
- Moscow–Washington hotline established
Strategic Narrative Overview
In October 1962, a US U-2 spy plane photographed Soviet missile launch facilities under construction in Cuba. President Kennedy formed EXCOMM and rejected calls for an immediate air strike, instead ordering a naval blockade—termed a 'quarantine'—on 22 October to prevent further Soviet shipments. Thirteen days of intense diplomatic and military standoff followed, with both superpowers at high alert, as Kennedy and Khrushchev exchanged messages seeking a resolution.
01 / The Origins
US deployments of Thor and Jupiter nuclear missiles in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Turkey, all within range of Moscow, alarmed the Soviet government. A failed CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961 and ongoing US sabotage operations in Cuba further heightened tensions. In July 1962, Khrushchev and Castro agreed to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter a future US invasion and counter American missile deployments near Soviet borders.
03 / The Outcome
An agreement was reached whereby the Soviets dismantled their Cuban missiles in exchange for a US pledge not to invade Cuba and a secret US commitment to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey. The naval quarantine ended on 20 November 1962. The crisis embarrassed Khrushchev and contributed to his removal from power in 1964. It also prompted the creation of the Moscow–Washington hotline and a period of reduced US–Soviet tensions.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro.
Side B
1 belligerent
John F. Kennedy.