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Beggining of the Cuban Missile Crissis
The president of the United States, John F Kennedy is informed about the missile build-up. Ex Comm formed -
Period: to
Cuban Missile Crissis
The events of the Cuban Missile Crissis. -
The Decision
President Kennedy has to choose between 5 options. On the 20th he decides to blockade Cuba. A blockade on Cuba meant that the USA would ban the Soviet Union from bringing any more millitary supplies into Cuba. The US navy would stop all Soviet ships and search them. -
Anouncement
Kennedy publicly announces the Blockade. He also requests Khrushchev to remove all Soviet missiles from Cuba: " I call on chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this reckless and provocative threat to world peace... He has the opportunity now to move the world back from the abyss of destruction... withdrawing these weapons from Cuba" -
The response from Khrushchev
Kennedy received a letter from Khrushchev saying that his Soviet ships would not observe the blockade. This meant that Soviet ships would not obey the blockade and they would just ignore it. Furthermore, Khrushchev stated that he did not admit the prescence of nuclear missiles on Cuba. -
The Blockade Begins...
About 20 Soviet ships, in which some were carrying missiles, approached the the 800km blockade zone. It looked as if they were willing to carry foward with the "invasion" but then suddenly some of them halted and the rest turned around and headed back home. -
The build-up of missiles continues...
Even though the blockade was preventing more missiles from entering Cuba, the missile bases already on Cuba were developing rapidly. This was shown by aerial photography taken by American spy planes such as the U-2 spy plane.