Secret History: "Cuba and the Missile Crisis"
The nearest that the world has ever come to a nuclear war was in 1962. The flash point was the Caribbean island of Cuba. Fidel Castro, who took power in Cuba in 1959, allied his country with the Soviet Union. Outraged by the presence of a pro-Soviet state only 90 miles from their coast, the US plotted to overthrow Castro. In September 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev started secretly installing nuclear missiles on Cuba.
Missile Sites
The US was alerted to the Soviet move by Oleg Penkovsky, a double agent in the Soviet military intelligence. The information was confirmed by a U-2 spy plane overflying Cuba, which photographed missile sites under construction. President John F. Kennedy was determined to force the Soviet Union to remove the missiles, which threatened US cities. His military chiefs wanted to launch air strikes to destroy the missile sites, but Kennedy feared this would lead to a nuclear war. Instead, he put Cuba under naval blockade and called on Khrushchev to withdraw the missile. Standoff While the two sides secretly negotiated in search of a solution to the crisis, tension neared breaking point. A U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba, and there were close encounters between US and Soviet ships and submarines. After a standoff lasting 13 days, Khrushchev announced that the missiles were being withdrawn. Kennedy responded by promising that the US would never invade Cuba. |
Soviet Double Agent
Soviet intelligence officer, Oleg Penkovsky, became a double agent in 1961, passing a secret to the CIA and SIS. In September 1962, he revealed to them that the Soviet Union was stationing nuclear missiles in Cuba. The following month, Penkovsky was arrested by the KGB. He was executed as a traitor, killed by a single bullet in the back on the neck.
Soviet intelligence officer, Oleg Penkovsky, became a double agent in 1961, passing a secret to the CIA and SIS. In September 1962, he revealed to them that the Soviet Union was stationing nuclear missiles in Cuba. The following month, Penkovsky was arrested by the KGB. He was executed as a traitor, killed by a single bullet in the back on the neck.
Text: (Secret History: The Cold War, Grant 14-15)