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Fidel Castro
Cuba had a revolution in 1959. The dictator, Fulgencio Batista, was overthrown and was replaced by Fidel Castro. The U.S. did not trust Castro; Batista had been a strong American ally, and the U.S. has suspicions that Castro was communist. -
Cuba Aligns with USSR
This suspicion was confirmed on Dec. 19, 1960, when Castro openly aligned with the Soviet Union, which meant that now, a communist ally of our chief rival was directly on the U.S.'s doorstep. -
The Bay of Pigs
After Fidel Castro aligned with the USSR, Kennedy, promised in April 1961 not to intervene in Cuban military affairs. That same month, around 1350 Cuban exiles landed on the coast of Cuba at The Bay of Pigs. Their goal was to lead the popular uprising against Castro. -
Period: to
Dominic Operation?
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U-2 Finds Missiles in Cuba
American spy planes take photographs of what appear to be mobile Soviet-made missile launchers in remote areas of Cuba. -
Quarantine
Kennedy and his lackeys call for the quarantine of Cuba after the missiles were discovered. The U.S. Navy was going to block the coast and prevent any ship from reaching port as to prevent any new missiles from reaching Cuba, but not removing the ones already there. -
Televised
Kennedy televises his decision to quarantine Cuba. -
Khrushchev's Letter
U.S. Navy ships take up position on the 'quarantine line,' 800 miles from Cuba. Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev calling the situation 'a serious threat to peace and security.' The OAS, Organization of American States, Latin states and the U.S. supported the quarantine giving Kennedy backing. -
Defcon 2
U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson confronts the Soviets at the U.N. but they refuse to answer. American military forces are instructed to set DEFCON 2, highest ever in U.S. history. Review of the movement of ships toward the quarantine line and potential US responses. (each of a series of five progressive levels of alert used by the US armed forces; 1 is war, 5 is peace.) -
2nd Letter from Khrushchev
A letter from Khrushchev stating that the Soviets would remove their missiles if President Kennedy publicly guarantees the U.S. will not invade Cuba is received. Reports that the construction of the missile sites is continuing and accelerating. RFK meets secretly with Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin and agrees that the removal of US missiles in Turkey is a possibility. Khrushchev receives a cable from Castro urging a nuclear first strike against the US in the event of an invasion of Cuba. -
U-2 Shot Down
One U-2 spy plane flies into Russia, another is shot down over Cuba. A second letter from Khrushchev stated that, in addition to a public promise not to invade Cuba, the U.S. must remove its missiles from Turkey. -
Crisis Ends
In a speech aired on Radio Moscow, Khrushchev announces the dismantling of Soviet missiles in Cuba, the U.S. removes their missiles from Turkey. -
Quarantine Ends
A month after the Cuban Missile Crisis is averted, Kennedy lifts the quarantine on Cuba,