History

Cuban Missile Crisis Timeline: Back-Channel Diplomacy 1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis ran from 16 to 28 October 1962. After a U-2 photographed Soviet missile sites in Cuba, Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine and Khrushch…

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HOTLINE

Washington-Moscow hotline established

No. The memorandum was signed on 20 June 1963 and the link began operating on 30 August 1963, a reaction to the slow messaging of the crisis.

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APRIL

Jupiter missiles leave Turkey and Italy

Operation Pot Pie removed the US Jupiters from Italy and Turkey between 1 and 24 April 1963, fulfilling a confidential assurance.

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28 OCT

Khrushchev announces withdrawal

Radio Moscow broadcast Khrushchev's order to dismantle, crate and return the missiles. Kennedy called it an important and constructive contribution to peace.

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SECRET

Robert Kennedy meets Dobrynin

Robert Kennedy told Soviet ambassador Dobrynin the Jupiters in Turkey would be removed soon after the crisis, but not announced as a trade.

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27 OCT

Black Saturday

A U-2 was shot down over Cuba, Khrushchev publicly demanded a Turkey trade and submarine B-59 nearly launched a nuclear torpedo.

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26 OCT

Khrushchev's letter offers a way out

A long personal letter proposed withdrawing the missiles if the US pledged not to invade Cuba, echoing Scali and Fomin's lunch.

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25 OCT

Stevenson confronts Zorin at the UN

Adlai Stevenson showed aerial photographs of the missile sites to the Security Council and challenged Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin.

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24 OCT

The quarantine takes effect

Kennedy chose the word quarantine to avoid the legal implications of war. Some Soviet ships turned back, others were stopped and allowed to proceed.

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22 OCT

Kennedy tells the world

In a televised address Kennedy revealed the missile sites and ordered a naval quarantine of Cuba.

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14 OCT

A U-2 photographs the sites

Major Richard Heyser's U-2 flight took 928 photographs, and analysts identified medium-range missiles at San Cristobal on 15 October.

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