CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS 13 DAYS ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR

By Brando Scully and Kyle ONeal

DAY 1 OCTOBER 16 TH
President Kennedy and foreign officials are briefed of info from the U-2 that stated that The Soviet Union was sending missiles to Cuba. The President contemplated on how to respond to the information briefed. Kennedy had to decide between to choices either Set a Naval Blockade(quarantine)to prevent any Soviet Union imports to going to Cuba or A Airstrike and an Invasion.

DAY 2 OCTOBER 17 TH
Americans Begin to move military units into southeastern US. U-2 Flights Show 16-32 missile sites. President Attends a brief St. Matthew Cathedral to attend daily prayer.

DAY 3 OCTOBER 18 TH
President Kennedy visited by Soviet minister Andrei Gromyko who says Cuba Is mainly defensive, Doesnt present danger to the USA.

DAY 4 OCTOBER 19 TH
President Kennedy leaves for scheduled campaign trip in Illinois and Ohio. Congress is debating what course of action that is needed to face this issue

DAY 5 OCTOBER 20 TH
After a five hour discussion they decided to quarantine. President Kennedy returned suddenly to Washington. Plans for sending naval units are being made, meanwhile the president is developing his speech for his address to the American citizens.

DAY 6 OCTOBER 21 ST
After attending mass at Saint Stephens church with Mrs. Kennedy the President met with General Walter Sweeney of the Tactical Air Command were Kennedy was alerted that an air strike will not guarantee a 100% destruction of all of the missiles.

DAY 7 OCTOBER 22 ND PART 1

President Kennedy phones former presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, and Truman to alert them of the predicament the United States were in. Meetings to figure out what measures needed to happen are still occurring. National Security Council decides to meet daily to solve issue. Kennedy Briefs Congress on situation. Kennedy alerts Britians Prime Minister of situation.

DAY 7 OCTOBER 22 ND PART 2

President Announced the situation to the US citizens on television. President Kennedy writes to the Soviet Union Premier that stated the serious consequences if actin were taken prior to his televised announcement. Kennedy also established a Naval blockade around Cuba until Soviet Union dismantles missiles.

DAY 7 OCTOBER 22 ND PART 3

United States Secretary Of States notifies Russia about the blockade.

DAY 8 OCTOBER 23 RD
The ships of the naval quarantine units move In around Cuba. Soviet submarines threaten the quarantine by moving Into the Caribbean area. Soviet ships transporting military imports to Cuba are stopped dead by quarantine. President Kennedy worst fear is that the US naval ships will be

forced to fire on Soviets.

DAY 9 OCTOBER 24 TH
Chairmen Khrushchev says that You, Mr. President, are not declaring a quarantine, but rather are setting forth an ultimatum and threatening that if we do not give in to your demands you will use force. Consider

what you are saying! And you want to persuade me to agree to this! What
would it mean to agree to these demands? It would mean guiding oneself in one's relations with other countries not by reason, but by submitting to arbitrariness. You are no longer appealing to reason, but wish to

intimidate us. Directed towards president Kennedy.

DAY 10 OCTOBER 25 TH
After Knowing that some of the missiles in Cuba were operational president Kennedy personally wrote letter to Khrushchev to try to persuade him too change is action. The U.N. Secretary General U Thant calls for cooling off period, which ended up being rejected by president Kennedy due to the fact the missiles are still in place.

DAY 10 OCTOBER 25 TH PART 2

Much debate took place between the Soviet Union and the United States at The United Nations. During the debate in the Security Council The usually courteous ambassador of the United States Adlia Stevenson attacked the Soviets Valerian Zorin with pictures of the missiles in Cuba.

DAY 11 OCTOBER 26 TH
In a private letter from Fidel Castro urged Nikita Khrushchev to initiate a nuclear strike on the United States in the event that the United States invaded Cuba. After a lot of discussion of a solution to the nuclear issue a similar solution is proposed by The Soviet Union and The United States. The solution was that Russia would remove the Missiles and The United States

would remove the blockade and promise to not invade Cuba.

DAY 12 OCTOBER 27 TH
A US U-2 Plane is shot down in Russia. Major Rudolf Anderson was killed in that Plane. President Kennedy sent his condolences to Andersons family.

After a tense meeting President Kennedy decided he didnt want to

retaliate. Soviet Union was forced to remove the missiles by The United Nations. United States removed the Jupiter Missile from Turkey and wont

invade Cuba.

DAY 13 OCTOBER 28 TH
Khrushchev announced to all of Russia that he accepted the solution and that the missiles would be removed from Cuba. The Crisis was Over.

INFORMATION PROVIDED FROM

http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc