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U-2 Spyplane Spots Missles in Cuba
Air Force Pilot Heyser flies a spyplane over Cuba and spots Russian medium-range SS-4 nuclear missiles. He takes pictures of the missiles and reports back to the U.S. about them. -
'ExComm' Meeting
Kennedy calls an emergency meeting with military and political advisers, a group that would become known as ExComm (or Executive Committee). ExComm decides on a naval blockade after rejecting an air strike at the missile sites. -
President Kennedy meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko
In this meeting Kennedy tells Gromyko that America will not tolerate Soviet missiles in Cuba. While Gromyko denies the presence of any Soviet weaponry in Cuba. -
H-bomb Test
CHAMA Dominic Airdrop test over Johnston Island area. 1.59 Megaton yield Hydrogen bomb test. -
Cuban Quarentine/Naval Blockade
The world learns about the crisis when Kennedy addresses the nation in a televised speech and announces a naval blockade of Cuba until Soviet missiles are removed. The president warns the U.S. would retaliate if a Soviet missile is launched from Cuba. -
Photos
The Organization of American States(OAS) supports the decision to quarantine Cuba. Reconnaissance photos reveal that Soviet missiles are ready for launch. -
Soviet's Response
ExComm receives a letter from Khrushchev stating that the Soviets would remove their missiles if President Kennedy publicly guarantees the U.S. will not invade Cuba. The CIA reports that the construction of the missile sites is continuing and accelerating. RFK meets secretly with Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin and agrees after a phone call to the president that the removal of US missiles from Turkey is negotiable as part of a comprehensive settlement. -
Removal of Missles from Turkey
While one U-2 spy plane accidentally flies into Russia, another is shot down over Cuba. EX-COMM receives a second letter from Khrushchev stating that, in addition to a public promise not to invade Cuba, the U.S. remove its missiles from Turkey. -
Confrontation Over
The crisis is over. In a speech aired on Radio Moscow, Khrushchev announces the dismantling of Soviet missiles in Cuba and does not insist on his demands concerning the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey. -
Period: to
Soviets exit Cuba/Naval Blockade Ends
President Kennedy terminates the quarantine when Khrushchev agrees after several weeks of tense negotiations at the UN to withdraw Soviet IL-28 nuclear bombers from Cuba.