Thirteen days

• 16 October 1962


  Kennedy called together an executive committee (Excomm) to discuss how the USA should react

  They met every day for 13 days - during which time tensions were high due to the perceived threat of nuclear war
• 22 October 1962


  Kennedy decided not to launch an attack (after several days of discussion)

  Instead he set up a naval blockade around Cuba and called it 'quarantine' (or else it would be considered an act of war)

  He prepared 54 bombers within this quarantine zone, each with 4 nuclear warheads, in case war was to break out
• 23 October 1962


  Kennedy and Khrushchev both had no desire to go into nuclear war and so Khrushchev ordered the soviet ships to turn around - Kennedy did not know this at the time and remained prepared to set off the naval weapons at any minute.
• 24 October 1962


  When the Americans discovered that the ships had turned back, they experienced great relief
• 26 October 1962


  Khrushchev sent Kennedy a telegram offering to remove any missiles from Cuba, if they agreed not to invade again
• 27 October 1962


  Before Kennedy was able to respond to the first telegram, another telegram was sent now of Khrushchev saying he would remove missiles only if the US missiles were removed from Turkey

  On this day, an American U2 plane was also shot down over Turkey

  • The Hawks - people who supported the idea of going to war during the cold war period - demanded military action.

  Kennedy refused and simply ignored the second telegram.
• 28 October 1962


  Kennedy agreed to the first telegram and Khrushchev sent his agreement back concerning the removal of missiles from Cuba

  • There was also a secret part of this deal which involved Kennedy's brother agreeing to remove the Turkey missiles