Cuban Missile Crisis

Who?

1. The United States

     - John F. Kennedy ( President)

2. Soviet Union

     - Nikita Khrushchev (President)

3. Cuba

     - Fidel Castro

What?

A 13 day confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles sites

Reconnaissance photograph ( October 1962)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U2_Image_of_Cuban_Missile_Crisis.jpg

When?

October 1962

• On October 14th a U-2 on a reconnaissance flight discovered ballistic missile construction sites. 
• October 20th a defensive quarantine was suggested, and was approved by the president. 
• By October 28th it’s announced that the missiles are to be removed from Cuba. Timeline link below.

www.library.thinkquest.org/11046/days/timeline.html

Where?

Cuba

Why?

The U.S had a first strike opportunity by placing their missiles in Turkey. The Soviet Union reached out to Cuba who were sympathetic to their communist expansion, thus becoming allies. They were then allowed to place the missiles in Cuba, which was only 90 miles from the coast of Florida.

Potential Range of the missiles if deployed.

http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc/oct16/