The Thirteen Days in October 1962 When the World Came Closer to Nuclear War Than Either Side Knew at the Time
American U-2 reconnaissance photographs on 14 October 1962 confirmed Soviet medium-range nuclear missiles being installed in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine on 22 October. The crisis ran for 13 days before being resolved by a public-and-private settlement: the Soviets withdrew the Cuban missiles, the Americans publicly pledged not to invade Cuba, and the Americans secretly agreed to withdraw their Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
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