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Cuban Missile Crisis Timeline
1959: The Cuban
Revolution
October 28, 1959 - US
and Turkey agree to
place Jupiter missiles in
Turkey
May 1960
U2 plane shot down over
USSR
May 7, 1960
USSR and Cuba establish
diplomatic relations
October 12, 1960
Khrushchev bangs shoe
on desk
October 19, 1960
US bans exports to Cuba
December 19, 1960
Cuba openly aligns with
USSR
January 3, 1961
US closes US embassy in
Havana
January 20, 1961
Kennedy becomes
President
April 12, 1961, Yuri
Gargarin first human in
Space
April 17 -19, 1961 — Bay
of Pigs
President Batista of Cuba fled from Cuba to the Dominican Republic.
His departure allowed Fidel Castro’s revolutionary forces to seize
power; Castro became Prime Minister. Initially, Castro claimed that
his revolution was not a Communist revolution.
Towards the end of the 1950s, the United States had begun placing
nuclear missiles in Europe. The United States concluded an
agreement with NATO member Turkey on October 28 in order to
place intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Turkey targeting the
Soviet Union.
Flying over Russia, an American U2 spy plane was shot down by
Soviet air defenses. The pilot, Gary Powers, survived and was taken
prisoner by the Soviets. Powers was eventually exchanged in 1962.
The incident forced the United States to admit that it was
conducting spy over flights of the USSR.
The Soviet Union provided diplomatic recognition of the new Cuban
government.
Indicative of growing tensions during the Cold War, Premier
Khrushchev removed his shoe and banged it against his desk during
a meeting at the UN General Assembly to protest a speech by a
Filipino delegate criticizing the Soviet Union.
The United States ended all exports to Cuba in response to
nationalization of American property in Cuba.
Cuba openly aligned itself with Moscow after the Soviet government
established trade relations and provided an economic credit to
Havana.
The US rescinded its diplomatic recognition of the Castro
government and prepared to close its embassy in Cuba after Havana
aligned itself with the Soviet Union. Hundreds of Cuban nationals
flocked to the American diplomatic mission's headquarters in hopes
of obtaining a visa before they closed.
John F. Kennedy (JFK), after beating Richard Nixon in the 1960
election, was sworn-in as President.
In a major victory for the Soviet space program, the Soviet
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Gagarin
also completed an orbit of the Earth.
Initiated during the Eisenhower administration, the United States
trained and supported a cadre of 1,500 anti-Castro Cuban exiles. On
April 17, the rebels landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba in order to
topple the Castro government. The Kennedy administration decided
to withdraw military support for the invasion, dooming the rebel
force. After three days, the exiles were defeated, a major blow for
the United States and John F. Kennedy.
June 1961, missiles
placed in Turkey
June 4, 1961, Vienna
meeting of Kennedy and
Khrushchev
August 13, 1961 Berlin
Wall construction begins
November 30, 1961
Operation Mongoose
authorized
January 21 — January 31,
1962 Organization of
American States (OAS)
expels Cuba
February 3, 1962 US
embargo of Cuba
proclaimed
May 13 — May 20, 1962,
Khrushchev decision to
place missiles in Cuba
May 29, 1962, Soviet
delegation to Cuba
September 15, 1962, first
Soviet missiles arrive in
Cuba
October 14, 1962 U2
flight photographs
October 15, 1962,
analysis of U2
photographs
October 16, 1962 –
photographic evidence to
President and National
The Jupiter nuclear missiles were officially deployed in Turkey.
Kennedy and Khrushchev met to discuss international relations.
During the meeting, Khrushchev developed a low opinion of
Kennedy. This may have contributed to Khrushchev’s aggression
during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
During the night of August 13, the Soviets and East Germans built a
wall dividing East and West Berlin. The barrier kept East Germans
from fleeing to the West for 28 years. US and Soviet forces face
each other but are ultimately withdrawn, President Kennedy
accepts the Berlin Wall lest war break out.
JFK authorized CIA to conduct covert operations in Cuba in order to
kill Castro and remove the Communist government from power.
At the OAS’s eighth meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the
United States led the other Western Hemispheric countries in a vote
to eject Cuba from the OAS.
The United States announced a near-complete economic,
commercial and financial embargo of Cuba.
Proclamation 3447: Embargo on all trade with Cuba
According to his memoirs Khrushchev decided to place nuclear
missiles in Cuba at some point during a May trip to Bulgaria. After
the trip, he informed members of the Politburo of his plans.
After deliberations within the Soviet government, Khrushchev
dispatched a delegation to discuss the placement of nuclear missiles
in the country. Castro accepted the missile deployment the day
after meeting the delegation.
The first Soviet ship (the Poltava) carrying medium-range ballistic
missiles arrived in Cuba. Soviets begin construction of missile
launch sites
A U2 aircraft flying over western Cuba took pictures of the Soviet
missile sites for the first time. U-2 photograph of MRBM site two
nautical miles away from the Los Palacios deployment – the second
set of MRBMs found in Cuba. This site was subsequently named San
Cristobal no. 1
Analysis from the National Photographic Interpretation Center
confirmed the existence of Soviet missile sites in Cuba. The
photographic analysis also reveals that the Soviets were placing
intermediate-range IL-28 bombers in Cuba, capable of carrying
nuclear bombs to the US mainland.
On the morning of October 16, Kennedy was informed by his
National Security Advisor, McGeorge Bundy, of the nuclear missile
sites. Kennedy assembled an Executive Committee of the National
Security Council
October 22, 1962 –
Kennedy goes on TV to
explain the Cuban
situation
October 23, 1962 – OAS
supports the quarantine
of Cuba
October 24, 1962 –
Soviet ships reverse
course
October 25, 1962 –
Stevenson presents
evidence of missile sites
at UN
October 26, 1962 –
private Khrushchev letter
October 27, 1962 –
public Khrushchev letter
October 28, 1962 –
public announcement
from Khrushchev to
withdraw missiles
November 5 -November
9, 1962, Soviet missiles
leave Cuba
November 20, 1962,
blockade ends
December 5 —
December 6, 1962, Soviet
bombers leave
April 24, 1963 – last US
missiles leave Turkey
June 10, 1963 – JFK
Security Council, or “ExComm” to work on the crisis. Most members
of the ExComm favored a military strike against the sites. Over time
Kennedy decided to commit to a step before military attack: a
blockade of Cuba to prevent the further Soviet supply of missiles.
After deliberating for nearly a week, President Kennedy made a
television address informing the world about the Soviet missiles in
Cuba. Kennedy announced that the United States would enforce a
quarantine of Cuba and prevent “offensive military equipment”
from reaching Cuba. Kennedy stated that the U.S. would not end the
quarantine until the Soviet Union removes their missiles. US
strategic forces put on alert.
In a critical moment of international support, the OAS voted to
approve the quarantine of Cuba, adding legitimacy to the American
blockade. Meanwhile, American ships move into position along the
blockade line.
With the blockade in place, Soviet ships traveling to Cuba held or
reversed course. The US subsequently allowed a few ships not
carrying nuclear weapons to pass the blockade line.
The United States requested an emergency meeting of the UN
Security Council. During the meeting, the Soviet ambassador
rejected the American claim that the Soviets have placed missiles in
Cuba. In response, UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson told the Soviet
Ambassador he was willing to wait “until hell freezes over” for a
Soviet answer as to whether there were missiles in Cuba. Stevenson
then presented photos of the missile sites in the UN chambers.
Premier Khrushchev sent a private letter to Kennedy stating his
willingness to remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba in exchange
for an American pledge never to invade Cuba.
After the previous private letter, Khrushchev issued a public
demand: the Soviet Union would withdraw the missiles from Cuba if
the US pledged to never invade Cuba and agreed to withdraw its
missiles from Turkey.
The Soviet government announced they had accepted the American
offer to never invade Cuba in exchange for removing the nuclear
weapons from Cuba. The Soviets did not mention the secret deal
that the Americans would also remove their missiles from Turkey.
The Soviet Union removed their nuclear missiles from Cuba.
With the Soviet missiles out of Cuba, the United States ended its
blockade of Cuba.
The Soviets removed their IL-28 bombers from Cuba. The removal of
the bombers ended the nuclear threat from Cuba.
The last Jupiter missile was removed from Turkey as per the secret
agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In a speech to the graduating class of American University, President
announces discussion of
nuclear test ban
June 20, 1963 – hotline
set up between Moscow
and Washington
August 5, 1963 – Partial
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
signed in Moscow
November 22, 1963,
Kennedy assassination
October 14, 1964,
Khrushchev removed
March 5, 1970 – Nuclear
Non- Proliferation Treaty
(NPT)
September 3, 1971 –
Four Power Agreement
on Berlin
Kennedy called for greater cooperation with the Soviet Union.
Kennedy announced that the Soviet Union had reached out to
Washington to negotiate a nuclear test ban.
After the tense negotiations during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the
Soviet and American governments decided to set up a direct phone
line between Moscow and Washington. The “hotline” remains to
this day. The White House Kremlin "hot line" providing direct
communication for emergency use by the Chief of Staff in
Washington and Moscow, became operational August 30, 1963.
The United States and Soviet Union agreed to stop testing nuclear
weapons everywhere except underground. The treaty, banning
nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under
water, was signed by representatives of the United States, Britain
and Russia.
On November 22, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas,
Texas. Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as America’s president.
After political manoeuvring throughout 1964, Premier Khrushchev
was forced to resign by the Soviet Politburo (in part due to his
perceived failures during the Cuban missile crisis). Leonid Brezhnev
became the new First Secretary of the Soviet Union; he would
remain its leader until 1982.
The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union brokered an
international treaty that seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear
weapons. The treaty remains in force to this day with 190
signatories. Three states have never joined the NPT: India, Pakistan,
and Israel. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the NPT in
2003
The US, Soviet Union, UK, and France finalized an agreement
charging the West and East German governments to ensure access
to and from West Berlin. In effect, the Soviet government pledged
not to blockade West Berlin, preventing another Berlin Crisis.
John F. Kennedy
In 1960, at the age of 43, John F. Kennedy became the youngest elected President in U.S.
history, during a period of growing tensions in the U.S.-Soviet Cold War rivalry. Soon after taking
office in 1961, he authorized the “Bay of Pigs” invasion led by the CIA and exiles from Cuba,
whose government had been overthrown by communist rebels in 1959. This failed to overthrow
leader Fidel Castro, and was a major embarrassment to Kennedy. Tensions with the Soviet Union
further escalated during the 1961 Berlin Crisis. These events set the stage for the Cuban Missile
Crisis. On October 15, 1962 Kennedy was informed of the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba
and called a meeting of a small circle of trusted advisors (known as the Executive Committee of
the National Security Council, or ExComm). He resisted pressure to react quickly with a surprise
air strike, and took time to deliberate in secret on the possible courses of action. On October 22
the President announced a naval blockade on further arms shipments to Cuba. He then worked
out an agreement with the Soviets, which involved a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba if the Soviet
Union withdrew its missiles, a threat to attack within 24 hours if the offer wasn’t accepted, and
a secret promise to withdraw U.S. missiles from Turkey in four-five months.
Nikita Khrushchev
Khrushchev became First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1953 after a
power struggle following Stalin’s death, and served as Premier from 1958 to 1964. Khrushchev
began efforts to “de-Stalinize” Soviet society. However, in 1961 tensions between the
superpowers escalated over the Berlin Crisis. In the spring of 1962 Khrushchev made the
decision to place Soviet missiles in Cuba secretly in order to give a quick boost to Soviet missile
power, and to strengthen the USSR’s bargaining position regarding the Berlin question. After the
missiles were discovered, Khrushchev initially maintained a hard line, expecting Kennedy to back
down. However, as the President stood firm, Khrushchev reassessed the situation. Faced with
the very real possibility of nuclear war, Khrushchev decided that “to save the world, we must
retreat”. He agreed to withdraw the Soviet missiles, in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade
Cuba and the President’s secret assurance that the U.S. would withdraw its Jupiter missiles from
Turkey. As this American concession was not revealed publicly, the settlement was viewed by
many as unfavourable to the USSR and hurt Khrushchev politically, contributing to his being
ousted from power in 1964.
Fidel Castro
In January 1959 Fidel Castro’s revolutionary forces seized power. While the Cuban leader initially
claimed this was not a communist revolution, a year later Cuba formally aligned itself with the
Soviet Union. Relations with the United States deteriorated further in 1961 when the U.S.
supported CIA-trained anti-Castro exiles in the Bay of Pigs invasion – a failed attempt to
overthrow Castro and a major blow for President Kennedy. In this context, in the summer of
1962 Castro accepted the Soviet offer to install missiles in Cuba as a deterrent to a U.S. invasion.
During the crisis Castro urged Khrushchev to defend Cuba and reject American demands to
withdraw the missiles. On October 27, believing a U.S. attack was imminent, Castro urged
Khrushchev to initiate a nuclear first strike. Castro was excluded from the negotiations and felt
that, by agreeing to withdraw the missiles, the Soviets had betrayed Cuba.