Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 1

When did Kennedy realise the existence of nuclear missiles in Cuba?

Answer 1

14th October 1962

Question 2

When did the naval blockade on Cuba begin?

Answer 2

21st October 1962

Question 3

What happened on the 22nd October 1962?

Answer 3

Kennedy placed USA on DEFCON 3.

Question 4

What happened on the 23rd October 1962?

Answer 4

Soviet ships approached Cuba carrying more missiles.

Question 5

When did a Soviet ship (that was really an oil tanker) enter the quarantine zone?

Answer 5

25th October 1962

Question 6

What happened on the 27th October that further increased tensions?

Answer 6

US navy detected a Soviet submarine close to Cuba that almost launched a nuclear torpedo believing a war had begun. It hadn’t had any contact with the outside world.
Cubans shot down a Soviet spy plane.
American plane drifted into Soviet airspace.

Question 7

What caused the crisis to end?

Answer 7

On 27th October 1962, Khrushchev sent a second letter to Kennedy promising to remove the missiles if Kennedy removed American missiles from Turkey and Italy. Kennedy agreed on the basis that the removal of US missiles would be kept a secret.

Question 8

How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect relations between the superpowers?

Answer 8

Drew attention to the risks of brinkmanship and the lack of control the leaders actually had over events.
Special phone hotline was introduced between the Kremlin and the White House.
Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963 which banned testing of nuclear weapons except underground. Recognised that the Arms Race couldn’t go on in the same way.