JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis

what were your thoughts on how close the world came to World war III.

To understand the Cuban Missile crisis we have to bear in mind that the world was in state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare. This period is known in history as the cold war. The United States cried foul when Castro revolution or the Cuban Revolution (Spanish: Revolución cubana) happened. This revolution was an armed revolt conducted by Fidel Castro's revolutionary 26th of July Movement and its allies against the military dictatorship of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. The revolution began in July 1953, and continued sporadically until the rebels finally ousted Batista on 31 December 1958, replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state. 26 July 1953 is celebrated in Cuba as the Day of the Revolution (Dia de la Revolución). After the revolution the Central Intelligence Agency-sponsored rebel group ( Brigade 2506) who attempted an invasion on 17 April 1961 that lasted just three days. Brigade 2506 was a counter-revolutionary military group made up mostly of Cuban exiles who had traveled to the United States after Castro's takeover, but also included some US military personnel. Trained and funded by the CIA, Brigade 2506 fronted the armed wing of the Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF) and intended to overthrow the increasingly communist government of Fidel Castro. Launched from Guatemala and Nicaragua, the invading force was defeated within three days by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, under the direct command of Castro.  After the Bay of Pigs incident, Cuba clearly felt threatened by the United States.  Castro started to look for a closer relationship with the USSR who could offer the country protection.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to agree to Cuba's request to place nuclear missiles there to deter future harassment of Cuba.

An agreement was reached during a secret meeting between Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in July 1962 and construction of a number of missile launch facilities started later that summer.

Cuba was only 90 miles from the coast of Florida meaning that the USA, including many of its biggest cities like Washington DC and New York, would be well within range of these missiles.

The lives of 80 million Americans were at stake.

Nikita Krushev and the Soviet politburo decided to send Cuban Missiles

The Cuban Missile crisis comes to a close as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agrees to remove Russian missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise from the United States to respect Cuba's territorial sovereignty.

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