Cuban Missile Crisis: Timeline
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Cuban Missile Crisis: Timeline
January 1, 1959
Fidel Castro assumes power after the Cuban
Revolution.
December 19, 1960
Cuba openly aligns itself with the Soviet
Union and their policies.
January 3, 1961
The U.S. terminates diplomatic and consular
relation with Cuba.
April 12, 1961
President Kennedy pledges the U.S. will not
intervene militarily to overthrow Castro.
Summary
Causes
Build-up
April 17, 1961
Discovery
Secrecy
Decision
Public Phase
Eye to Eye
June 3-4, 1961
Ends of a Rope
On the Brink
Conclusion
Other Info
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Backed by the U.S., a group of Cuban exiles
invades Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt
to trigger an anti-Castro rebellion. The
invasion fails and more than a thousand
Cuban rebels are captured by Castro's forces.
Khrushchev and Kennedy hold summit in
Vienna.
Castro announces that Cuba is taking
measures that would make any direct U.S.
attack on Cuba the equivalent of a world war.
He claims that the U.S.S.R. has invested
greatly in helping defend his country.
July 27, 1962
Communication
Bay of Pigs
Timeline
CMC
August 10, 1962
Weblinks
References
CIA Director John McCone sends a memo to
Kennedy expressing his belief that Soviet
medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs)
will be deployed in Cuba
.
August 31, 1962
Senator Kenneth Keating tells the Senate that
there is evidence of Soviet missile
installations in Cuba. Keating urges Kennedy
to take action.
September 11, 1962
In a speech to the UN, Soviet Foreign
Minister Andrei Gromyko warns that an
American attack on Cuba could mean war
with the Soviet Union.
October 9, 1962
Kennedy orders a U-2 reconnaissance flight
over western Cuba, delayed by bad weather
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until the 14th.
October 10, 1962
Senator Keating charges that six intermediaterange ballistic missile bases are being
constructed in Cuba.
October 14, 1962
A U-2 flying over western Cuba discovers
missile sites. Photographs obtained by this
flight provide hard evidence that Soviets have
missiles in Cuba.
October 15, 1962
A readout team at the National Photographic
Intelligence Center reviews photos taken
during the U-2 flight and identifies objects
similar to MRBM components observed in
the U.S.S.R. at San Cristobal.
McGeorge Bundy decides after hearing about
the discovery of missiles in Cuba not to
inform the president until the next day.
McNamara is shown the photographic
evidence of the MRBMs at San Cristobal.
October 16, 1962
Bundy breaks the new to Kennedy who calls
for a meeting of a group later to become know
as EX-COMM.
At that meeting Kennedy and his advisors
discuss possible diplomatic and military
courses of action.
October 17, 1962
Kennedy flies to Connecticut to campaign for
the Democratic Party and congressional
candidate Abe Ribicoff.
Robert Kennedy and Theodore Sorensen meet
the President at the airport and fill him in on
what he had missed during that day's
deliberations. Throughout EX-COMM's
discussions, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
especially the Air Force strongly argue for an
air strike.
After another U-2 flight on the night of the
17th, the military discoveres intermediate
range (IRBMs) SS-5 nuclear missiles.
October 18, 1962
Gromyko and Kennedy meet for two hours.
Reading from notes, Gromyko assures
Kennedy that Soviet aid to Cuba has been
only for the "defensive capabilities of Cuba."
October 19, 1962
Kennedy departs Washington for scheduled
campaign speeches in Cleveland and the West
Coast.
October 20, 1962
Kennedy's Press Secretary announces that the
President is canceling the remainder of his
campaign trip because of an "upper
respiratory infection."
Kennedy meets with his advisors and orders a
defensive quarantine instituted as soon as
possible. The full operation is reviewed and
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approved, and the President's television
address is scheduled for the next evening.
October 21, 1962
Kennedy is told by General Maxwell Taylor
that an air strike could not guarantee to
destroy all Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Kennedy decides on a quarantine of Cuba for
the time being.
Kennedy requests that the press not deny him
the "element of surprise" or he warns, "I don't
know what the Soviets will do."
Another U-2 flight that day reveals bombers
and Migs being rapidly assembled and cruise
missile sites being built on Cuba's northern
shore.
October 22, 1962
Congressional leaders assemble at the White
House for a meeting with Kennedy. They are
shown the photographic evidence of the
Soviet missile installations. The congressional
leaders express support, but many advocate
stronger action.
The President addresses the nation in a
televised speech, announcing the presence of
offensive missile sites in Cuba.
U.S. military forces go to DEFCON 3.
U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay is reinforced by
Marines.
October 23, 1962
Kennedy orders six Crusader jets to fly a low
level reconnaissance mission.
Organization of American States (OAS)
unanimously approves of the quarantine
against Cuba.
By the end of the day U.S. ships had taken up
position along the quarantine line, 800 miles
from Cuba.
Late in the evening, the President sends
Robert Kennedy to the Soviet embassy to talk
with Ambassador Dobrynin.
Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev in
which Khrushchev comments that there is a,
"serious threat to peace and security of
peoples."
President decides to give Khrushchev more
time and pulls the quarantine line back to 500
miles.
October 24, 1962
Soviet ships en route to Cuba with
questionable cargo either slow down or
reverse their course except for one.
Military forces go to DEFCON 2 the highest
ever in U.S. history.
October 25, 1962
Kennedy sends a letter to Khrushchev laying
the responsibility for the crisis on the Soviet
Union.
EX-COMM discusses a proposal to withdraw
U.S. missiles from Turkey in exchange for the
withdrawal of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
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October 26, 1962
The Soviet ship Marucla is cleared through
the quarantine.
During an EX-COMM meeting, Kennedy says
that he believes the quarantine alone can not
force the Soviet government to remove its
offensive weapons from Cuba.
A CIA report from that morning states that
there was no halt in progress in the
development of the missile sites and another
reconnaissance flight reveals the Soviets were
also attempting to camouflage the missiles.
Aleksandr Fomin, who was known to be the
KGB station chief in Washington, requests a
meeting with ABC News correspondent John
Scali. Fomin proposes the dismantling of
Soviet bases under U.N. supervision in
exchange for a public pledge from the U.S.
not to invade Cuba.
Khrushchev sends another letter to Kennedy
proposing removing his missiles if Kennedy
would publicly announce never to invade
Cuba.
October 27, 1962
A new letter from Khrushchev arrives,
proposing a public trade of Soviet missiles in
Cuba for U.S. missile in Turkey.
An American U-2 is shot down over Cuba
killing the pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson.
U-2 accidentally strays into Soviet airspace
near Alaska nearly being intercepted by
Soviet fighters.
Dobrynin and Robert Kennedy meet and
discuss the price of removing the missiles
from Cuba.
Kennedy writes Khrushchev a letter stating
that he will make a statement that the U.S.
will not invade Cuba if Khrushchev removes
the missiles from Cuba.
October 28, 1962
Khrushchev announces over Radio Moscow
that he has agreed to remove the missiles
from Cuba.
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