How 50 years ago we could have died

Fifty years ago this week was the Cuban missile crisis.  It's now just an event in the history books but it was the turning point of the arms race when we were at the brink of a nuclear war.

I was 9 years old and didn't fully comprehend what was going on but I need remember vividly the drills we had to do in school in the event of an attack.  In hindsight what a joke of a bomb shelter in our school.

The leaders of the Soviet Union in 1962 realized the weakness of their position relative to the United States and believed the quickest end to the Cold War was to find a balance. A missile base in Cuba presented an opportunity to force American to concede that Russia was its equal.

While the decision was made in May 1962, the hope was to build the sites quietly and then announce them to the world after the U.S. November elections.

 Spy planes on October 14th caught definitive images of the missile sites being built in San Cristobal, Cuba. The photos would be analyzed and the weapons identified by October 15th, when they were delivered to President Kennedy, starting the clock on the infamous 13 days.

While most of Kennedy's team were in favor of some form of naval quarantine, there was significant support for a strike including.  Thankfully, they did not strike immediately. The Cubans had 98 tactical nuclear weapons and could have theoretically wiped out an invading force.

 The Blockade would take place, leading to many of the closest and most dangerous moments in the war as heavily armed U.S. and Soviet faced off in close proximity.

 
While negotiations slowly continued through October 23rd and October 26th the build up of missile sites continued unabated, with evidence showing an increase in activity. At the same time, the U.S. mobilized for a possible response and invasion.

On October 26th, Khruschev sent an offer to withdraw all of the bombers and missiles in exchange for an agreement by the U.S. not to invade Cuba.

As the administration was considering their response, Khruschev announced in Moscow they also demanded the removal of Jupiter rockets from the U.S. NATO ally in Turkey, but Kennedy smarty ignored it and announced his agreement of the initial terms. Khruschev dropped his demands and accepted. Ultimately, the U.S. did withdraw the obsolete weapons (Polaris-missile-equipped subs did a much better job protecting Turkey anyways).

It was one of the crowning achievements of Kennedy's administration and reflected a reluctance on both sides to fire the first shot when no one could predict what would happen next.