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Day 1: Kennedy is warned
President Kennedy and principal foreign policy and national defense officials are briefed on the U-2 findings. -
Period: to
The 13 days
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Day 2: Making a plan
American military units moves its bases in the Southeastern U.S. Kennedy has lunch with Crown Prince Hasan of Libya. After he makes a political visit to Connecticut in support of Democratic congressional candidates. Kennedy starts to discuss the actions that will be taken because of Cuba possession of the missiles. -
Day 3: Kennedy meeting with the Solviets
President Kennedy has a meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. He says that Soviet aid to Cuba is purely defensive and does not represent a threat to the United States. Kennedy, without revealing what he knows of the existence of the missiles, reads to Gromyko his public warning of September 4 that the "gravest consequences" would follow if significant Soviet offensive weapons were introduced into Cuba. -
Day 4: JKF meeting with secretary of defense
JFK meets with Robert McNamara to discuss military options. McNamara is the secretary of defense -
Day 5: notifying America
JKF returns to Washington to have a discussion with top advisors. Plans for deploying naval units are drawn and work is begun on a speech to notify the American people. -
Day 6: meeting with General Sweeney
the President meets with General Walter Sweeney of the Tactical Air Command who tells him that an air strike could not guarantee 100% destruction of the missiles. -
Day 7: Naval Blockade is called for
JFK calls for a naval blockade on Cuba. This is approved -
Day 8: naval quarantine of Cuba
President Kennedy signs Proclamation 3504, authorizing the naval quarantine of Cuba. -
Day 9: approaching danger
Soviet ships reach the quarantine line, but hold their positions. McNamara talks of a very dangerous situation since ships approaching the quarantine line are being shadowed by a Soviet submarine. U.S. military go into DEFCON 2, the highest in U.S. history. -
Day 10: trying to stop Cuba
the president personally drafts a letter to Premier Khrushchev. This letter urges him to change the course of events. Meanwhile, Soviet freighters turn and head back to Europe. The Bucharest, carrying only petroleum products, is allowed through the quarantine line. U.N. Secretary General U Thant calls for a cooling off period, which is rejected by Kennedy because it would leave the missiles in place. -
Day 11: letter back
A letter from Khrushchev to Kennedy makes a similar offer: removal of the missiles in exchange for lifting the quarantine and a pledge that the U.S. will not invade Cuba. -
Day 12: coming to an end
A U-2 spy plane is shot down over Cuba. Excomm receives a letter from Khrushchev stating that, in addition to a public promise not to invade Cuba, the U.S. removes its missiles from Turkey. -
Day 13: Cuban missile crisis end
Radio Moscow announces that the Soviet Union has accepted the proposed solution and releases the text of a Khrushchev letter affirming that the missiles will be removed in exchange for a non-invasion pledge from the United States.
