The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major USA national security and geopolitical incident of the Cold War. It raised tensions between the superpowers to such a level that the human civilization was brought to the brink of a nuclear apocalypse. It took place from October 14 to October 28, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy Administration. It involved Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America. European NATO's nations did not take part of this show of military naval force.
In the Summer of 1962, Cuba began to receive huge supplies of weapons and unknown military parts from the Soviet Union. Both Fidel Castro and Nikita Khrushchev reiterated that they were purely defensive conventional armament. However, American military photographs, which had been taken by the US spy plane U-2, indicated that they were medium range missile parts lying in what would be a launching silos base. The missiles and site infrastructure were being assembled and built by Russian military engineers.
On October 22, President John F. Kennedy announced publicly on television that he had just ordered an immediate 'naval quarantine' of the island of Cuba. It was a blockade or forced stoppage of all Soviet weapons and missile parts on their way to Cuba. At the same time, the American President demanded an immediate removal of the already installed Soviet missile bases. All the sea area around the island was heavily patrolled by US Navy's destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers, and submarines. As a result, some Soviet Navy's vessels altered their course and turned around, while two Russian ships bound for La Havana were stopped by the American warships, searched for offensive armament and rocketry parts, and then allowed to continue their voyage as none was found.
Agreement
Several days had gone by, with both American and Russian strategic bombers and long range missiles getting ready for action, when the Soviet premier ultimately offered to dismantle and remove the already installed silos and missiles if the United States would pledge never to invade Cuba. Finally, on October 26, John F. Kennedy agreed to the Russian proposal. Thus, both Super Powers leaders put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Former Secretary of Defense, Robert Mc Namara, gives his opinion and personal experience on the Cuban missile crisis (video)