The thirteen days, 16-28 October 1962

H1 History - syllabus 8838, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can judge how the Cold War played out in Korea and Cuba, as the superpowers competed and looked for allies.

    Syllabus 8838, Theme I, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the manifestation of the Cold War conflict across different contexts over time

Make a guess

On 27 October 1962 a US spy plane was shot down over Cuba, at the height of the crisis. What do you think Kennedy did next?

  1. Held back and offered a deal, with a secret promise on Turkey.
  2. Ordered air strikes on the missile sites in Cuba that same night.
  3. Invaded Cuba with US ground forces.
Show the answer

Held back and offered a deal, with a secret promise on Turkey.

Kennedy accepted a no-invasion pledge publicly and agreed privately to remove US missiles from Turkey. Khrushchev agreed on 28 October.

Kennedy chose a naval quarantine over an air strike, and a public no-invasion pledge plus a secret deal on Turkey ended the crisis.

On 14 October 1962, a U-2 spy plane photographed missile sites in Cuba. From 16 October, Kennedy debated options with his advisers, the Executive Committee (ExComm). Military leaders favoured air strikes and invasion. Kennedy chose a naval quarantine to stop further weapons reaching Cuba.

On 22 October, Kennedy announced the quarantine on television and demanded that the missiles be removed. On 24 October, Soviet ships approaching the quarantine line stopped or turned back.

On 26 October, Khrushchev sent a letter suggesting the missiles could go if the USA promised not to invade Cuba. On 27 October, a second letter also demanded the removal of US missiles from Turkey. The same day, a U-2 was shot down over Cuba, killing its pilot. Tension peaked.

Kennedy publicly answered the first letter, accepting a no-invasion pledge in return for removal. Privately, Robert Kennedy told Soviet ambassador Dobrynin that the Jupiter missiles in Turkey would be removed later, if this was kept secret. On 28 October, Khrushchev announced the withdrawal.

U-2 photographs
14 October 1962.
Quarantine announced
22 October 1962.
Black Saturday
27 October: U-2 shot down; Turkey demand.
Withdrawal announced
28 October 1962.

Real examples to use

ExComm meets, 16 October 1962

Kennedy's advisers first weighed air strikes and invasion before settling on a naval quarantine.

Ships turn back, 24 October 1962

Soviet ships heading for Cuba stopped or turned around at the quarantine line, the first sign that Khrushchev would not force the issue.

Two letters, 26 and 27 October 1962

Khrushchev's first letter offered withdrawal for a no-invasion pledge; the second added US missiles in Turkey. Kennedy answered the first in public.

Robert Kennedy and Dobrynin, 27 October 1962

In a private meeting, the president's brother promised the Jupiters would go, as long as the promise stayed secret.

Worked example: Tracing a turning point

Why was 27 October 1962 the most dangerous day?

  1. A U-2 was shot down over Cuba, which could have triggered US retaliation.
  2. Khrushchev's new demand on Turkey seemed to harden the Soviet position.
  3. Kennedy's response combined a public offer with a secret concession.
  4. The crisis turned within a day, showing leaders' choices mattered.

Watch out for this

Khrushchev simply backed down and got nothing in return.

He got a public US pledge not to invade Cuba and a secret promise to remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

Check your understanding

What did the USA secretly promise to end the crisis?

  1. To end the trade embargo on Cuba
  2. To withdraw its troops from West Berlin within a year
  3. To remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey later
Show the answer

To remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey later

Right. This was kept secret at Kennedy's insistence.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • Kennedy writes to Khrushchev

    Paraphrase of President Kennedy's letter to Chairman Khrushchev, 22 October 1962, sent with a copy of his televised statement on Cuba.

  • Khrushchev's first proposal

    Paraphrase of Chairman Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, 26 October 1962, as translated by the US embassy in Moscow.

  • Khrushchev raises Turkey

    Paraphrase of Chairman Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, 27 October 1962, broadcast publicly by Moscow radio.

  • Kennedy replies

    Paraphrase of President Kennedy's message to Chairman Khrushchev, 27 October 1962, released to the press.

  • Khrushchev announces withdrawal

    Paraphrase of Chairman Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, 28 October 1962.

  • Kennedy addresses the nation, 22 October 1962

    Extract from President John F. Kennedy's radio and television report to the American people on the Soviet arms build-up in Cuba, broadcast on 22 October 1962. A US government document in the public domain; text from the American Presidency Project.

  • Khrushchev replies, 24 October 1962

    Extract from Chairman Nikita Khrushchev's letter to President Kennedy, Moscow, 24 October 1962, in the official translation prepared by the US Department of State, printed in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume VI, document 63. A US government publication in the public domain.

  • the President's advisers debate Turkey, 27 October 1962

    Extract from the summary record of the eighth meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm), Washington, 27 October 1962, 4 p.m., written by Bromley Smith, Top Secret. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XI, document 94. A US government document in the public domain.

  • Robert Kennedy reports his meeting with the Soviet ambassador

    Extract from a memorandum by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, 30 October 1962, describing his meeting with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin on the evening of 27 October. Top Secret. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XI, document 96. The editors note that a typed sentence was crossed out of the final paragraph: "If some time elapsed--and per your instructions, I mentioned four or five months--I said I was sure that these matters could be resolved satisfactory." A US government document in the public domain.

  • a cartoon about the settlement, November 1962

    An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a European newspaper cartoon published in November 1962, after the Soviet missiles were withdrawn. It is not a copy of a real cartoon. The American missiles in Turkey were removed in April 1963; the understanding was kept secret until the late 1980s.

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