Within six months of Castro's overthrow of dictator Fulgencio Batista in Cuba (January 1959), relations between Castro's government
and the United States began to deteriorate.

The Cuban missile crisis was the gravest collision between the US and the Soviet Union during the cold war and marked the closest
point that the world had ever come to global nuclear war.

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On 17 April 1961, an abortive invasion of Cuba -at the Bay of Pigs (Bahía de los Cochinos) erupted on the southwestern coast by
1500 Cuban exiles opposed to Fidel Castro. This invasion was financed and directed by the US government. It was a disaster for the US.

On 26 July 1961, the CIA fails in yet another attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, and Che Guevara
during celebrations comemorating the July 26th movement
.More Background.

In Late 1961, Khrushchev considered deploying nuclear weapons to Cuba to prevent a full US invasion.
While the United States had nuclear missiles all around the world -and on the very borders
of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union had only 10 to 25 nuclear missiles that were
capable of reaching the United States.


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30 November 1961, Kennedy authorised another aggressive covert assault on Cuba, 'Operation Mongoose' with the aim to 'provoke, harass or disrupt' the new Cuban government. It has four hundred CIA agents, about 2000 Cuban exiles, a private naval fleet of speedboats, and an annual budget of $50 million.

Kennedy was unwilling to committ to a full scale invasion, but he kept his options open and allowed the US terrorist activities to continue.

April 1962, fifteen US Jupiter nuclear missiles erected in Turkey, (on the border of the Soviet Union) became operational. All missiles are reported "ready and manned" by US personnel -and ready to launch against the Soviet Union at any moment. Fatality projections for each US missile are one million Soviet civilians.

Late April 1962, Khrushchev realizes the nuclear tipped knife is at the throat of the Soviet Union.

7 February 1962, the US instituted a total embargo of trade with Cuba, a decision intended to be forced on all nations in the world.

Fidel Castro informs visiting Soviet officials that Cuba will accept the deployment of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to a US invasion.

20 August, a frustrated hawk, General Maxwell Taylor (chairman of the SGA), informs Kennedy that the SGA sees no chance of overthrowing the Cuban republic through internal dissent, no matter how the situation is manipulated.

In the first week of September 1962, Soviet troops and equipment begun to arrive in Cuba. Kennedy threatened that the US would not tolerate offensive weapons in Cuba and that if the Soviets did so, it would be a violation of the USs "sole right" to be the only foreign government allowed to have military forces inside Cuba (Guantanamo base). CIA terrorism against Cuba is intensified.

20 September, the US Senate has approved the use of military force against Cuba, and will cut off aid to any country that transports goods of any kind to Cuba.

21 September, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko charged the US with creating 'war hysteria' and 'aggressive military preparations' to provoke Cuba.

14 October (early morning) A U-2 spy aircraft flying over western Cuba, reveal MRBM sites in Cuba. Two days later, Kennedy learns about the missile deployments. The US discussed several options -from a surgical airstrike on the missile bases -to a full-scale invasion.

20 October, Kennedy implemented a military blockade on Cuba, that prevented all goods and persons from either entering or leaving Cuba. US diplomat to the UN Adlai Stevenson, aggressively protests to Kennedy that the blockade is invalid. Stevenson's gets a strong reprimand from his masters, and henceforth Stevenson is 'assisted' by US hawk, John McCloy.

On the same day the US informed its Nato allies about the Cuban missile crisis, and the military options the US planned to pursue. -A massive alert of its B-52 nuclear bomber force, and the US to begin sending 183 nuclear bombers to 33 civilian and military airfields. All aircraft, both on the ground and in-flight, are armed with nuclear weapons.

By US nuclear bombers numbers alone, 17 times more nuclear weapons are ready to drop on Cuba than all of Cuba has. The US also had nuclear missiles in Puerto Rico and nuclear capable bombs in Guantanamo Naval Base, all ready for use against Cuba.

At this time, the United States has a total arsenal of 27,100 nuclear weapons, while the Soviet Union has 3,100.

October 22, Kennedy addressed the US public for the first time about the crisis, stating that the US will not permit any offensive military equipment in Cuba. Kennedy exclaimed "... any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere is an attack by the Soviet Union on the US, requiring a full retaliatory response against the Soviet Union."

On the following day, 23 October, despite Kennedy's threats, Khrushchev wrote to Kennedy: "....I must say frankly that the measures indicated in your statement constitute a serious threat to peace and to the security of nations ...we reaffirm that the armaments are in Cuba, regardless of the classification to which they may belong, are intended solely for defensive purposes in order to secure the Republic of Cuba against the attack of an aggressor. I hope that the US government will display wisdom and renounce the actions pursued by you, which may lead to catastrophic consequences for world peace."

The Cuban government placed its entire armed forces on their highest alert. The entire civilian population is armed and ready to fight 'to the last person' in defence of Cuba. The Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact is also put on alert status.

In addition to its high-altitude U-2 breaches of Cuban airspace, the US military begins new low-level intimidation and spy flights all over Cuba. In an extraordinary further effort towards peace, Cuba and the Soviet Union refuse to make any attempt to forcibly prevent the flyovers.

24 October, (early morning). Of the 19 Soviet ships that were enroute to Cuba, most have altered or reversed their course. 16 of the Soviet ships return to the Soviet Union, 2 altered their course. Only the oil tanker 'Bucharest' continued toward the blockade.

Khrushchev responded to Kennedy's demands, decribing them as aggressive and unreasonable.

In his first communication with Kennedy and Khrushchev during the crisis, UN Acting Secretary General U Thant, at the request of more than forty non-aligned states, privately called for the voluntary suspension of arms shipments to Cuba, together with the voluntary suspension of the military blockade.

25 October, two US naval vessels fail to intercept the tanker 'Bucharest', it continues on course and refused to be boarded. The US ships are ordered not to intercept.

Khrushchev agreed with the proposal of peace that was sent by the U Thant, - to suspend all arms shipments to Cuba.
Kennedy refuses to lift the military blockade.

After US pressure, U Thant sends a message solely to Khrushchev, that supports the US blockade and tells Khrushchev to keep his ships outside Cuba. Meanwhile, a CIA sabotage team in Cuba (whose aim is to destroy the Matahambre copper mine) are caught by Cubans.

The US then applied further pressure by increasing the frequency of low-level incursions over Cuba from twice per day to once every two hours.

Aleksandr Fomin, of the Washington Soviet Embassy (and KGB Station Chief), desperately arranges a personal meeting with the US State Department to ascertain if the US has any desire to solve the situation peacefully.
Fomin proposes "Soviet bases in Cuba would be dismantled under UN supervision and Castro would pledge not to accept offensive weapons of any kind, ever, -in return for a US pledge not to invade Cuba."

Later that evening, Anatoly Dobrynin and Robert Kennedy met at the Soviet embassy. Dobrynin repeats that if Soviet nuclear missiles are intolerable in Cuba, then US missiles are also intolerable in Turkey. Robert Kennedy phones the US president, and returns to Dobrynin and explained that the President is willing to negotiate.

Unable to bear the continued harassment, Castro orders Cuban anti-aircraft forces to open fire on all US aircraft flying over Cuba.

27 October, The CIA reported that three of the four SS-4 MRBM sites at San Cristóbal and the two sites at Sagua la Grande appear to be fully operational. On this morning, Khrushchev publicly announces that if the US removes its nuclear missiles from Turkey, the Soviet Union will remove its missiles from Cuba.

A U-2 spyplane flying over Cuban airspace was shot down, its pilot killed. The Soviet Union order the Cuban anti-aircraft batteries to stop immediatly. The Cubans refused.

(Still 27 October ) Kennedy replyed to Khrushchev's request for peace, by sending U Thant to talk to the Soviets for him.

In response to the downed U-2 (there are definite US plans to destroy any sites that shoot at US planes over Cuban airspace). Kennedy says no.

Kennedy ignored Khrushchev's proposal for removing US missiles in Turkey, and responds by publicly declaring;
' ... the USSR to agree to remove weapon systems from Cuba under appropriate UN supervision; and undertake to halt the further introduction of such weapon systems into Cuba... we, on our part, would agree, through the UN, to remove promptly the quarantine (blockade) measures now in effect and give assurances against the invasion of Cuba... '.

Further, Kennedy had Dobrynin told that if the Soviet Union does not remove its missiles, the United States will attack Cuba. The group secretly conceded that US nuclear missiles must be removed from Turkey, but that this should not be made public to save US face.

Castro finally agreed to the UN request to stop building Cuban missile sites, provided the US also agrees to end its military blockade. Further, Castro extended an invitation to U Thant to visit Cuba.

28 October 1962, the US advised its Nato allies that a military attack on Cuba was imminent. The CIA has learned that Soviet technicians had succeeded to make fully operational all 24 MRBM sites in Cuba, though no nuclear bunkers are in operation (ie. missiles not armed).

In a new message from Khrushchev, broadcast on Radio Moscow, effectively ends the missile crisis. Khrushchev promises to dismantle and return all the Soviet missiles in Cuba back to the Soviet Union.

In Havana, Fidel Castro, who was not informed of the decision beforehand, is outraged. Khrushchev explained to Castro, that not ending the crisis would have meant a nuclear war, but the Soviet Union still intends to fulfill its duty to defend Cuba.

Kennedy orders no further incursions over Cuban air space, yet the US Joint Chiefs of Staff update their plans of a military invasion of Cuba, and decide that nuclear weapons should still be used -even though Cuba's nuclear weapons are being dismantled.

Kennedy orders that the US military blockade around Cuba to stay and low altitude spyflights over Cuba to continue. U Thant explained to the US that they must fulfill their agreement and end the military blockade. The US refuses, demanding that it's blockade will end only after all missiles have been removed from Cuba.
In an effort to squeeze the Soviets further, incredibly, the US adds another demand, that the aged Ilyushin-28 (Beagle) bombers sold to Cuba must go also.

US air surveillance conclusively shows that all missile sites in Cuba have been bulldozed and that the missiles and launch equipment have been removed.

2 November, Kennedy states that the military blockade will remain.

14 November, Khrushchev told Kennedy that he will agree to remove the Beagle aircraft in Cuba within three months. Khrushchev again points out that the US is not honouring its side of the agreements, including ending all incursions over Cuban airspace and ending the economic and military blockade. Also the US has not registered a non-invasion pledge of Cuba, despite the fact that all Soviet missiles have been removed from Cuba. This was ignored, and the US continued to make new demands.

For the first time the US agreed to lift only the military blockade of Cuba. Though incursions over Cuban air space continue. (incredibly, the US economic blockade still remains today -44 years later).

23-24 December 1962, the Cuban government agreed to release 1113 Bay of Pigs invaders to the US, in exchange for US$53 million in medical supplies and baby food.

15 January 1963, The Soviet Union made a final attempt to obtain a firm US non-invasion pledge.
The US refuses.

Fidel Castro later explained, '... for us, the Caribbean crisis has not been resolved, a war was avoided but the peace was not won...'

The above text condensed from Marxist Internet Archive