Herbys Cards & Gifts

In October 1962 the world again came close to another World War when the Cold War combatants , USA and Russia came close to outright war following the installation of nuclear warheads on Cuba - some 90 miles from Florida. The crisis became know as the Cuban Missile Crisis and it lasted one month and four days during which the world held its breath.

The lead up to the crisis can be firstly pinpointed to the USA`s placement of Jupiter Ballistic Missiles which could carry nuclear warheads in Italy and Turkey. Further , the USA`s failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 called the Bay of Pigs Invasion prompted Prime Minister Fidel Castro to invite Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to place similar nuclear armed ballistic missiles in Cuba to deter any future invasion. Work on the launch sites began in the summer of 1962.

When Air Force U-2 Spy planes confirmed the existence of the launch sites President John F Kennedy imposed a "quarantine" around the island to prevent further missiles being deployed and to prevent any implications of an act of war. Negotiations ensued between both sides which resulted in Khrushchez agreeing to remove all warheads from Cuba in return of a public declaration that the USA would not invade Cuba. The USA also agreed to remove ballistic missiles from Turkey. The "quarantine" was formally ended on 20th November 1962 but this confrontation lead both sides to set up a hot line in order to reduce future tensions.



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