It was a moment in time that almost ended
it all for the human race, the ultimate game of brinkmanship. This is the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 1962, Cuba. The Soviet Union has been welcomed with open
arms by the Fidel Castro regime. Seen as a guarantor of Cuban independence
from the United States, the Cuban-Soviet alliance is vital for Castro, and a strategic coup
for the Soviet Union. With Miami only 80 miles away, Cuba gives
the Soviets airbases and naval facilities from which to do something no foreign power
has been able to do in over 150 years- threaten the American homeland. But Nikita Kruschev, premier of the Soviet
Union, has not taken full advantage of the strategic importance offered by Cuba, much
to Castro's chagrin. Kruschev knows two things- first, the Soviet
navy is unlikely to be able to support Soviet forces so far from their own shores if facing
down the American navy, and second, the presence of large Soviet military forces eighty miles
from the US would be an extreme provocation that is unlikely to remain unanswered. This is why it comes as such a surprise to
many senior Soviet leaders when Kruschev approves a plan to station nuclear weapons in Cuba. If military forces would be a provocation,
this was tantamount to a declaration of war. The plan must be carried out in complete secrecy. Kruschev's goal is to set up several dozen
nuclear capable missiles on Cuba, and then reveal their existence to American president
John F. Kennedy. He'll use the presence of the missiles as
leverage to gain several concessions from the US in return- chiefly the removal of American
nuclear missiles in Turkey and possibly even the evacuation of West Berlin by NATO forces. If Kruschev can catch Kennedy by surprise,
Kennedy will have no choice but to agree to the demands- or face down the threat of nuclear
missiles capable of reaching Washington in ten minutes or less. But American intelligence has kept an expansive
spy ring alive and well in Cuba. Many Cuban citizens may not have liked the
Batista dictatorship supported by the US, but they like Castro and communism even less. Rumors circulate about a large influx of Soviet
military personnel, disguised as agriculture experts and civil engineers. Movement of Soviet equipment across the island
has been spotted and reported to American field agents, who relay the information back
to their handlers on the mainland. The intelligence community is convinced- there
are Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. But nobody else believes them, they must gather
evidence. October 14th, 1962. A U-2 spy plane piloted by Major Richard Heyser
takes off from an airfield in Florida and heads for Cuba. Flying at extreme heights, the plane is difficult
to target with ground-based weapons, and Cuban radar operators aren't as alert as they should
be. The plane takes thousands of photographs of
suspected Soviet military sites on the island before returning home. The film roll, over 3 miles in length, is
rushed to be analyzed by intelligence specialists. The specialists have been cooperating with
experts in Soviet nuclear missile sites, and with their knowledge confirm the presence
of several sites on Cuba which look exactly like known nuclear sites in the USSR. The greatest existential threat the United
States has ever faced has just been confirmed. As the news is rushed to President Kennedy,
the Soviets continue their work. They cover their launchers with camouflage
netting during the day and work strictly at night to avoid detection. Kruschev monitors their progress carefully. If the missiles can remain undetected, in
just over a week they will be active and he'll have achieved the greatest strategic victory
in Russian history. October 16th. President John F. Kennedy has called an immediate
meeting of Ex-Comm, a team of his most senior advisors and Pentagon officials. The photos are analyzed and scrutinized. American intelligence confirms the locations
of the missiles, brought to Cuba aboard Soviet freighters and carefully hidden from public
view during the transit. Kennedy asks how long it'll take for the missiles
to be active. Estimates vary, but most agree it'll take
just over a week. The President needs options, and he needs
them fast. Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay,
the legendary World War II bulldog bomber commander, has an immediate answer. “Bomb the sum' bitches”, he responds. The United States has the largest strategic
bomber fleet in the world, and LeMay's Air Force can level the missile sites in a matter
of hours. The other military advisors in the room agree
with LeMay, strongly favoring immediate military action. The US Marines, supported by the Navy and
Army, can have a foothold in Cuba with just a few days preparation time. The missiles, Castro, and the Soviets could
all be out of the Western Hemisphere by the end of the week. Kennedy's non-military advisors are horrified,
and Kennedy shares their objections. A military strike would kill thousands of
Soviet personnel and risk escalating the conflict. Kruschev would be likely to take retaliatory
action in Germany- particularly against West Berlin where 15,000 NATO forces are surrounded
by over a hundred thousand eastern bloc forces. The heated argument lasts for hours, and finally
Kennedy is given three options: an air attack and possible invasion of Cuba, diplomacy with
Castro and Kruschev, or a naval quarantine of the island. Kennedy immediately takes to the quarantine
idea, though is careful to phrase it as a quarantine and not a blockade as that would
technically be considered an act of war. However, Kennedy needs more time to prepare
the US navy and to consider how to execute the quarantine. Soviet ships frequently travel to the island
nation, and he needs to mull the decision over. He knows the Soviets may call his bluff, and
American seamen may be forced to fire on Soviet ships, with unknown repercussions. To the rest of the world, the American government
seems to be pursuing business as usual. Soviet intelligence is confident that the
US still doesn't know about the missiles. Congressional elections are coming up shortly,
and Kennedy goes on the campaign trail for fellow Democrats, acting as if everything
is perfectly fine. Behind the scenes though, the US military
is preparing for conflict. America's silent service, its fleet of submarines,
begin a hunt for Soviet ballistic missile subs and then shadow them. In the case of war, they'll be sunk before
having a chance to fire. American journalists however are beginning
to grow suspicious. Leaks from within the White House have led
to rumors of imminent military action against Cuba. The rumors, completely unsubstantiated, then
begin to hint at the presence of nuclear weapons on the island. A Washington correspondent spots a dinner
meeting of senior military leadership and Cuban policy experts and presses for answers,
but the men refuse to answer. One major editorial finally has enough evidence
to go to press with a bombshell story about Soviet weapons in Cuba, and President Kennedy
himself personally asks the editor of the paper to not publish the story. The editor agrees, giving Kennedy more time
to prepare his response. Kennedy leaves the campaign trail in order
to meet with senior advisors, and at a daily press briefing reporters demand to know if
rumors that the President returned to Washington to discuss a military matter of great significance
are true. The White House press secretary assures the
reporters that the President was simply suffering from a worsening cold. The Soviets however are growing suspicious
that their weapons have been made by the Americans. Their fears are confirmed when on the morning
of October 22nd, the White House press secretary announces that the president will address
all Americans on a matter of vital national importance that very evening. As the sun sets across America, President
John F. Kennedy addresses the United States and the world over television and radio. The President confirms the presence of Soviet
nuclear weapons on Cuba, as well as the assembling of Soviet strategic bombers and the creation
of support air fields. He lambasts the Soviet Union for lying about
the defensive nature of the military buildup on the island. Kennedy then announces a naval quarantine
of the island, stating that any ships discovered to be carrying weapons will be turned back,
and the quarantine will be strictly enforced. He also makes it clear that any nuclear weapon
launched against any target in the western hemisphere will be considered as an act of
war against the United States itself. Thousands of miles away, Kruschev and his
cabinet pay close attention to Kennedy's speech. Kruschev is actually greatly relieved- he
had expected, and been preparing for, military action. However, Kennedy's quarantine is a clear signal
that he's willing to negotiate. That night, Kruschev sends his own signal
to Washington by attending the opera where an American performer is currently headlining. He meets with the American and together they
discuss peace. But the fate of the world may be out of the
hands of the two men who's militaries are preparing to go to war against each other,
and in the hands of those very soldiers. Back in the US, the American navy is steaming
into position around Cuba and closing the cordon. With twenty ships already on their way from
the Soviet Union, tensions are sky-high. Standing orders are to issue radio warnings
to turn back. If any ship refuses, a single warning shot
across the bow will be fired. If the ship still refuses to turn back, American
ships are authorized to fire in order to disable the ship. Still several hundred miles out, the Soviet
ships however are not showing any signs of stopping or turning around. Further ratcheting tensions, the American
secret SOSUS underwater surveillance program confirms the presence of Soviet submarines
moving into the Caribbean. Back in Washington, an American reporter is
getting a drink at a bar and chatting with a friend. He remarks that he's soon to be attached with
a Marine landing force. The bartender overhears the chatter, and moves
down the bar to where a Soviet reporter is drinking. The bartender taunts the Soviet, telling him
that soon the US will be invading Cuba. The Soviet is not just a prominent reporter
though, he's a KGB agent. The next day, the Soviet ambassador meets
with the American reporter, and over dinner attempts to pump him for information about
a possible invasion of Cuba. The reporter simply warns the ambassador not
to underestimate the resolve of the United States. October 25th, the eastern Caribbean. Soviet freighters full of arms are approaching
the quarantine zone. They've ignored all warnings to turn back. American ships sound battle stations- but
at the last minute, the ships suddenly change course and sail back for Europe. The oil tanker Bucharest however refuses to
turn back. American captains are under orders to not
fire without express authorization from the President himself. Kennedy is informed of the tanker's refusal. His advisors warn him that if they allow the
tanker through, it'll only encourage other Soviet ships to break the quarantine as well. Kennedy decides to risk it, and allows the
tanker to dock in Cuba. The next day, Fidel Castro sends a letter
to Kruschev imploring him to launch a nuclear first strike against the United States. He's willing to sacrifice his island and his
people for the cause of global revolution if it means the US will also burn in flames. Kruschev ignores the letter, and writes one
of his own to Kennedy, penning a strong emotional appeal for both sides to find a peaceful resolution
and not “doom the world to the catastrophe of thermonuclear war.” Kennedy receives the letter and considers
it. It poses great political risk for both sides. If the letter is leaked, Kruschev could appear
weak to the Soviet people and his allies. If Kennedy takes the letter at face value
and it turns out to be nothing more than a manipulative ploy, Kennedy could appear extremely
naive. Back in Cuba, the Americans are now keeping
tabs on the progress of the missile buildup with the use of U-2 spy planes. The planes are detected by Cuban radar, but
the anti-air missiles are under the command of Soviet units. Soviet forces are under strict orders to not
fire without Kremlin authorization. October 27th, high in the sky over Cuba, an
American U-2 is flying a reconnaissance mission. Major Rudolf Anderson has been detected and
tracked by Cuban radar. Soviet missiles have a good lock on the American
plane. Inexplicably, the Soviet ground commander
gives the order to fire. A telephone-pole sized missile streaks up
into the sky. In minutes it explodes under the belly of
the U-2, tearing it into pieces. Shrapnel from the explosion rips through the
cockpit, fatally wounding Major Anderson. The first shot of World War III may have just
been fired. Unknown to the Soviets, the White House had
already decided even before the U-2 took flight that if it was shot down, they wouldn't even
meet- a military response would be immediately launched. What the Americans don't know however is that
Soviet strategic nuclear weapons are already operational, and more than capable of annihilating
an American invasion force. Luckily for the world, the White House goes
back on their original plan and decides to meet and discuss the incident instead of launching
a military strike. As the Americans debate their response however,
yet another provocation is about to launch global thermonuclear war. Soviet submarines have been tracked by the
Americans across the Caribbean, and now one has been detected loitering near the quarantine
zone. Soviet Foxtrot-class submarine B-59 has been
running deep and silent in order to avoid the American navy, but its batteries are nearly
exhausted. It's now loitering on the surface and running
its diesel engines in order to recharge onboard batteries when the crew spot two American
destroyers steaming directly at them. The captain calls for an emergency crash dive,
and the sub gets under the waves just a minute before the Americans arrive. The two destroyers begin dropping practice
depth charges around the submarine's location. These charges are used in training and contain
little explosive charge, and are meant to signal to the submarine that it must surface. However, the Soviet crew don't know that the
US is dropping training charges, and to make matters worse they have been out of radio
contact with Moscow for days due to their need to run deep and silent. When they surfaced they'd been monitoring
US civilian radio for signs of how the crisis was playing out- the submariners fear that
war has already broken out. Unknown to the Americans above, the B-59 is
equipped with a nuclear-tipped torpedo, and believing that they are under attack and war
has broken out, Captain Valetin Savitsky and political officer Ivan Semyonovish Maslennikov
both approve launch of the nuclear torpedo. However, Vasily Arkhipov, commander of the
submarine flotilla B-59 is a part of, does not give his consent. On any other Soviet submarine, only two officers
must give consent, but with Arkhipov aboard, all three must agree. The launch is aborted, and the B-59 surfaces
to re-establish contact with Moscow. Nuclear war is once more, just barely avoided. On October 28th, Kruschev concedes to Kennedy's
demand that the missiles be withdrawn. The American ambassador has already informed
him that American missiles in Turkey were going to be removed anyways, but the plan
couldn't be made public. Kennedy and Kruschev have come to an agreement-
the missiles in Cuba will be removed and America will remove its own missiles from Turkey. The apparent 'concession' by the US gives
Kruschev just enough to save face in front of the Politburo. But there still doesn't exist a direct line
between Moscow and Washington, and sending a telegraph could take hours. Meanwhile, US and Soviet forces are still
playing an extremely dangerous cat and mouse game in the Caribbean. Any minute now yet another trigger happy soldier
could inadvertently launch the end of the world. Kruschev orders that news of his agreement
be broadcast over public radio, as that will be the fastest way to get word to the Americans
and immediately stand down all forces. An official staff vehicle speeds across Moscow
to reach a broadcast center before another accident triggers war. All traffic lights on the route are switched
to green as the car roars through the streets, finally arriving at its destination. However, on the elevator ride up to the broadcast
booth, the elevator becomes stuck. To the horror of the Kremlin staffer clutching
Kruschev's letter to Kennedy, the elevator may take hours to be repaired. In despair, he manages to force the letter
through a gap in the elevator doors and into the hands of a messenger boy, who holds the
very fate of the world in his hands. The message is at last, successfully broadcast
and picked up by radios all across the world. The Cuban missile crisis is officially over,
and the US closely monitors the removal of Soviet weapons from Cuba. Eight months later, as promised, US missiles
are removed from Turkey. Against all odds, the world has narrowly avoided
nuclear catastrophe. Now go watch How Did The Cold War Happen? Or click this other video instead.
