The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 that brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war. It began after U.S. reconnaissance flights discovered Soviet nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba, only about 90 miles from Florida. For students, the crisis is a key example of Cold War tension, nuclear brinkmanship, and the importance of careful decision-making under pressure.
The phrase Thirteen Tense Days captures how quickly a regional discovery became a global emergency.
Key Facts
- The crisis lasted 13 days, from October 16 to October 28, 1962.
- Cuba is about 90 miles, or 145 kilometers, from Florida, making Soviet missiles there a direct threat to the United States.
- U.S. U-2 spy plane photographs revealed Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba.
- President John F. Kennedy announced a naval quarantine of Cuba on October 22, 1962.
- The Soviet Union agreed to remove missiles from Cuba, while the United States pledged not to invade Cuba.
- A secret part of the settlement involved the later removal of U.S. Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
Vocabulary
- Cold War
- A long period of political, military, and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II.
- Naval quarantine
- A military blockade by sea used by the United States to stop more Soviet weapons from reaching Cuba.
- Brinkmanship
- A strategy of pushing a dangerous situation close to disaster in order to gain an advantage.
- Reconnaissance
- The gathering of information about an enemy or area, often through observation, aircraft, or photographs.
- Mutually assured destruction
- The idea that if two nuclear powers fought, both could be destroyed by retaliatory nuclear attacks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Calling the naval quarantine an invasion is wrong because U.S. forces blocked ships from delivering weapons but did not land troops in Cuba.
- Assuming the crisis was only between the United States and Cuba is wrong because the Soviet Union placed the missiles and was the main opposing superpower.
- Forgetting the role of Turkey is misleading because U.S. missiles near the Soviet Union helped shape the secret compromise.
- Thinking the crisis ended because one side simply surrendered is wrong because both sides made concessions to reduce the danger of nuclear war.
Practice Questions
- 1 The crisis lasted from October 16 to October 28, 1962. Counting both the first and last day, how many days did it last?
- 2 Cuba is about 90 miles from Florida. If a ship traveled that distance at 15 miles per hour, how many hours would the trip take?
- 3 Explain why Kennedy chose a naval quarantine instead of immediately bombing the missile sites. Use the ideas of escalation, uncertainty, and nuclear risk in your answer.