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TIMELINE FOR CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS EXHIBITION
1959 - January 1 - Fidel Castro assumes power in Cuba. 1960 - May 7 - The Soviet Union establishes diplomatic relations with Cuba. - August 16 - The first assassination plot by the US against Castro is initiated when a CIA official is given a box of Castro's favorite cigars and told to poison them. - August 28 - The United States imposes a trade embargo with Cuba. 1961 - April 12 - Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union becomes first man in space. - April 14 - Bay of Pigs invasion begins without US armed forces. - June 3-4 - Premier Khrushchev and President Kennedy meet in Vienna. - August 12-13 - Work on the Berlin Wall begins with the aid of the Soviet Union. - November 30 - President Kennedy authorizes OPERATION MONGOOSE aimed at overthrowing the Castro government. 1962 -April - American Jupiter missiles stationed in Turkey become operational, perhaps convincing Khrushchev that the Soviet Union could deploy missiles in Cuba. - May 31 - Adolf Eichmann is hanged for Nazi war crimes. - July 2 - 17 - Raul Castro meets with Khrushchev and other Russian officials; arrangements are made for missile deployment in Cuba. - August 5 - Marilyn Monroe dies of a drug overdose. - August 10 - CIA Director John McCone sends memorandum to the President stating there is evidence that Soviet Medium Range Ballistic Missiles are destined for Cuba. - August 26 - Che Guevara, Minister of Industry for Cuba, arrives in the Soviet Union to finalize details of the missile deployment. He urges Khrushchev to make a public announcement, which Khrushchev does not do. - August 29 - U-2 photography shows clear evidence of SA-2 SAM missile sites at numerous locations in Cuba. - September 4 - President Kennedy issues a statement that "there is no evidence of any organized combat force in Cuba from any Soviet Bloc country….of the presence of offensive ground-to-ground missiles, or of other significant offensive capability…were it otherwise the gravest issues would arise." - September 28 - The Soviet ship Kasimov is photographed enroute to Cuba with ten large crates on deck that indicate they may contain Soviet IL-28 bombers. - October 1 - James Meredith registers as the first black student at the University of Mississippi. - October 14 -A U-2 aircraft, under the command of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) flies over western Cuba. The CIA conducted previous flights. - October 15 - Noon - The President meets with Prime Minister Ahmed Ben Bella of Algeria. Ben Bella's plans take him to Havana after Washington. - October 15 - CIA Deputy Directory of Intelligence Ray Cline is informed that preliminary analysis of the U-2 reconnaissance photos indicates components of a Soviet MRBM in a field at San Cristobal. Further photos show IL-28s being uncrated at San Julian. DAY ONE: - October 16 - 0845 - McGeorge Bundy, National Security Advisor, telephones President Kennedy stating that "hard photographic evidence" shows Soviet MRBMs in Cuba. Kennedy calls an 1145 meeting and gives the names of fourteen or so advisers he wants present. This is the group that becomes known as the ExComm (the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. - October 16 - 1150 - The first meeting of the ExComm takes place during which photography is presented that analysts believe is SS-3 missiles. They are later identified as longer-range SS-4 missiles. - October 16 - 1830 - A second ExComm meeting takes place at which Marshall Carter states that the missiles could be "fully functional within two weeks." DAY TWO: - October 17 - Morning - Dean Acheson, a critic of the blockade, and Robert McNamara, a proponent of the blockade, further debate the situation with other ExComm members at the State Department. - October 17 - Morning - The first SS-5 IRBM site is detected in Cuba. It has a range of up to 2,200 nautical miles. - October 17 - 12:48 - The President departed for St. Matthews Cathedral in Washington and attended services in commemoration of National Day of Prayer. - October 17 - Late afternoon and evening - The President is campaigning in Connecticut. - October 17 - The Yankees beat the Giants to win 20th world championship. DAY THREE: - October 18 - 1100 - The JCS, while attending a meeting of the ExComm, recommends that President Kennedy order an air strike on missile bases and other Cuban military installations. - October 18 - 1430 - Further discussion of the ExComm at the State Department. Shortly thereafter, President Kennedy confers with Dean Acheson by telephone and raises his brother's concern over the morality of an air strike. Acheson reportedly tells Kennedy that he was being "silly" and it was "unworthy…to talk that way." - October 18 - 1630 - The President meets with Dean Rusk and Llewellyn Thompson. - October 18 - 1700 - Andrei Gromyko and President Kennedy meet at the White House. Gromyko advises a meeting with Premier Khrushchev might be possible after the elections. The conversation then turns to Cuba. Kennedy does not admit to knowing about the missiles and Gromyko charges that the United States is "pestering" a small country and that Soviet military aid to Cuba was "pursued solely for the purpose of contributing to the defense capabilities of Cuba." - October 18 - 1708 - Meeting with Gromyko ends and shortly thereafter Kennedy instructs Llewellyn Thompson to inform Ambassador Dobrynin that a summit with Premier Khrushchev would not be appropriate at this time. - October 18 - 2100 - The ExComm meets at the White House to present its recommendations. However, further into the meeting opinions shift and consensus for the blockade deteriorates. Kennedy directs the group to continue meeting. DAY FOUR: - October 19 - 1100 - Legal opinions regarding a blockade of Cuba are made to the ExComm and its members decide to form independent groups to develop both the airstrike and blockade plan. - October 19 - 1140 - The President arrives in Cleveland for several hours of campaigning before traveling to Springfield, Ill. and later to Chicago where he spent the night. - October 19 - Early afternoon - The two groups meet together and the consensus becomes one that favors a blockade. Theodore Sorensen starts work on a speech for Kennedy in support of the naval blockade. DAY FIVE: - October 20 - 0900 - ExComm meetings continue with final planning for a naval blockade. The Sorensen speech is amended and approved. - October 20 - 1002 - The President leaves his Chicago hotel early using a slight cold as an excuse and arrives at the White House at 1335. - October 20 - 1430 - President Kennedy hears from the full ExComm group and decides that he will address the nation on Oct. 22 at 7:00 PM but doesn't commit to ruling out an airstrike until he consults Air Force officials one last time the next morning. DAY SIX: - October 21 - 1000 - Meeting with secretaries Rusk and McNamara, Kennedy gives his approval to the naval blockade - October 21 - 1130 - Meeting with General Walter C. Sweeney, commander of the Tactical Air Command, Kennedy directs the military to be prepared to carry out an airstrike anytime after the morning of Oct. 22, despite having decided on the plans for the blockade. - October 21 - Throughout the day newspaper journalists have begun to piece together the story and White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger places 4 calls to Kennedy to advise him that security is breaking down. Kennedy places calls to the New York Times and Washington Post and asks McNamara to contact the New York Herald Tribune. All three papers agree to hold their stories. DAY SEVEN: - October 22 - 1100 - The governments of France and the United Kingdom are notified of American plans. Both Charles de Gaulle and Harold Macmillan lend their support. - October 22 - 1200 - The SAC places its B-52 nuclear bomber force on alert. This ensures that 1/8 of the force is airborne at any time. - October 22 - 1603 - Between a meeting of the National Security Council and a Cabinet meeting, the President meets with A. Milton Obote, Prime Minister of Uganda for 40 minutes. - October 22 - 1414 - The State Department is notified that U.S. military forces would go to DEFCON 3 effective at 1900. - October 22 - 1730 - Congressional leaders are briefed by Kennedy. Though most support the blockade, others argue that the blockade will not force the Soviet Union to withdraw its missiles from Cuba. - October 22 - 1800 - Ambassador Dobrynin is delivered an advance copy of the President's speech by Dean Rusk. At about the same time, a letter and copy of the speech is delivered to the Kremlin. The letter reads, "I must tell you that the United States is determined that this threat to the security of this hemisphere be removed." - October 22 - 1900 - President Kennedy addresses the nation for 17 minutes. U.S. military, with the exception of the Air Forces in Europe, are placed on DEFCON 3. - October 22 - 1930 - Dean Rusk, speaking to a group of ambassadors, tells them that "we are in as grave a crisis as mankind has been in." DAY EIGHT: - October 23 - 0800 - An official statement from Premier Khrushchev, carried by TASS, states "I hope that the United States Government will display wisdom and renounce the actions pursued by you, which may lead to catastrophic consequences for world peace." - October 23 - Low level reconnaissance missions over Cuba bring back incredible photographs. One pilot, Navy Commander William B. Ecker, whose plane was repeatedly shot at by the Cubans, stated "When you can almost see the writing on the side of the missiles, then you really know what you've got." - October 23 - 1000 - At a meeting of the ExComm, discussion includes what the U.S. response will be should a U-2 be shot down. It is decided that the missile site responsible for the downing would be attacked and destroyed. - October 23 - Adlai Stevenson at the United Nations questions the Soviets about the missiles. When they refuse to answer any of his questions he stated he was prepared to wait for an answer "until hell freezes over." - October 23 - 1740 - Fidel Castro places the Cuban military on its highest alert. - October 23 - 1906 - President Kennedy formally establishes the blockade in a White House ceremony. The blockade is to begin at 1000 the next morning. - October 23 - 2035 - Fidel Castro addresses the Cuban nation in a 90 minute televised speech. He warns that the blockade "had better come ready for combat." - October 23 - 2115 - Ambassador Dobrynin, while meeting with Robert Kennedy at the Soviet embassy, states that, to his knowledge, there are no missiles in Cuba and he knows of no change in instructions to captains of Soviet ships heading to Cuba. - October 23 - 2215 - Robert Kennedy tells the President, who is meeting with the British Ambassador, about his conversation with Dobrynin. The President decides to close in the blockade from 800 miles to 500 miles to give the Soviet government more time. DAY NINE: - October 24 - Early morning – 16 of 19 Soviet ships enroute to Cuba at the time the blockade is announced have reversed course. - October 24 - 1000 - U.S. naval blockade goes into effect at the same time a meeting of the ExComm begins. Robert McNamara states that the Soviet ships Gagarin and Komiles are within a few miles of the blockade line. A report states that a Soviet submarine has moved into position between the ships. McNamara reports that the USS Essex is to make the interception. - October 24 - 1025 - John McCone reads a new intelligence message that indicates "some of the Russian ships have stopped dead in the water." Dean Rusk leans over to McGeorge Bundy and says, "We're eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fellow just blinked." - October 24 - Evening - TASS reports that Khrushchev proposes a summit meeting with Kennedy to discuss how to end the conflict and "remove the threat of the unleashing of a thermonuclear war." - October 24 - 2124 - The State Department receives a letter from Khrushchev that is read to Kennedy at 2252 that states the Soviet Union views the blockade as an act of aggression and that he will not instruct Soviet ships to observe the blockade. - October 24 - The U.S. military is placed on DEFCON 2 alert for the first time in history. DAY TEN: - October 25 - 0715 - The USS Essex and the USS Gearing allow the Soviet ship Bucharest to continue its voyage to Cuba. - October 25 - Morning - Syndicated journalist Walter Lippman proposes the U.S. remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey in return for a Soviet withdrawal from Cuba. - October 25 - 1700 - John McCone, at an ExComm meeting, reports that some of the missiles deployed in Cuba have become operational. - October 25 - 1743 - Admiral Alfred Ward, commander of the blockade forces, orders the USS Kennedy to intercept the Lebanese freighter, the Marcula, the following morning. The Marcula is operating under a Soviet charter. - October 25 - During the day President Kennedy authorizes the loading of multistage nuclear weapons on aircraft under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. DAY ELEVEN: - October 26 - 0600 - A CIA memorandum states that construction of IRBM and MRBM bases is continuing in Cuba. - October 26 - 1000 - President Kennedy orders low-level flights over Cuba to be increased from once a day to twice a day. The ExComm decides not to undertake any emergency Civil Defense actions at this time though preliminary measures have been initiated. - October 26 - 1300 - ABC News correspondent, John Scali, has lunch with Aleksandr Fomin, the KGB's Washington station chief, at the Occidental Restaurant in Washington. Fomin states that "war seems about to break out," and asks Scali to contact his "high level friends" in the State Department to determine whether the U.S. would be interested in a solution to the crisis. Fomin's proposal is that Soviet bases would be dismantled and Castro would pledge not to accept offensive weapons in return for a pledge by the U.S. not to invade Cuba. - October 26 - 1318 - A cable is received by the State Department from the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Raymond Hare, stating Turkish officials will "deeply resent" any missile trade. - October 26 - 1800 - A message from Premier Khrushchev reaches the State Department in 4 parts. Robert Kennedy describes it as "very long and emotional." The message states "we…will declare that our ships bound for Cuba are not carrying any armaments. You will declare that the United States will not invade Cuba with its troops and will not support any other forces which might intend to invade Cuba. Then the necessity of the presence of our military specialists in Cuba will disappear." - October 26 - 1845 - John Scali tells Dean Rusk of Fomin's proposal. He assumes the message was authorized by Moscow, when, indeed, it was not. - October 26 - 1935 - Scali relates to Fomin a message given to him by Dean Rusk that states the U.S. government "sees real possibilities and supposes that the representatives of the two governments in New York could work this matter out with U Thant, acting secretary of the United Nations, and with each other." - October 26 - Evening - Fidel Castro reportedly cables Khrushchev from inside a bomb shelter in the Soviet embassy in Havana. Khrushchev interprets the message that "an American invasion would take place within a few hours. Therefore he (Castro) was proposing to preempt the invasion and inflict a nuclear strike on the U.S." - October 26 - Fidel Castro orders Cuban anti-aircraft forces to open fire on all U.S. aircraft flying over the island. Soviet Ambassador Alekseyev asks Castro to rescind his order, but he doesn't. DAY TWELVE: - October 27 - 0600 - A CIA memorandum reports that 3 of the 4 MRBM sites at San Cristobal and 2 sites at Sagua la Grande appear fully operational but that Cuban forces are under orders not to engage in hostilities unless attacked. - October 27 - 0900 - Radio Moscow broadcasts a message from Khrushchev that calls for the dismantling of U.S. missile bases in Turkey in return for the removal of the Soviet missiles in Cuba. - October 27 - 1000 - The Soviet tanker Grozny is about 600 miles out from Cuba. The President agrees at an ExComm meeting to ask U Thant to tell the Russians in New York where the quarantine line is thus allowing them more time to evaluate their situation. - October 27 - 1015 to 1100 - A U-2 from a SAC base in Alaska strays into Soviet airspace during a "routine air sampling mission." Soviet MiGs take off to intercept the U-2 which eventually manages to get out of Soviet territory without shots being fired. - October 27 - 1103 - A message from Premier Khrushchev is received by the White House. It states "We are willing to remove from Cuba the means which you regard as offensive…the United States…will remove its analogous means from Turkey…And after that, persons entrusted by the United Nations Security Council could inspect on the spot the fulfillment of the pledges made…" - October 27 - 1156 - The President meets with the Civil Defense Committee of the Governor's Conference for twenty minutes. - October 27 - Noon - A U-2 plane piloted by Major Rudolf Anderson is shot down over Cuba. The ExComm determines that the shooting is ordered by Moscow and is intended to escalate the crisis. The attack was, in fact, ordered by local Soviet commanders in Cuba. - October 27 - 1541 - Four F8U-1P low-level reconnaissance planes take off and fly over San Cristobal and Sagua la Grande. Cuban forces open fire with anti-aircraft guns and small arms. One of the aircraft is hit by a 37 mm anti-aircraft shell but manages to return to the U.S. base. - October 27 - 1600 - President Kennedy dispatches an immediate message to U Thant asking whether he would ask if the Soviet government is willing to stop work on the bases while negotiations continue. Kennedy is then told by Maxwell Taylor that the missing U-2 had been shot down over Cuba, probably by a SAM site. Kennedy decides not to retaliate to the disbelief of the Pentagon. - October 27 - 1615 - Dean Rusk requests that John Scali meet again with Fomin. Scali asks Fomin why the October 26 proposal had been ignored and that the Jupiter missiles in Turkey introduced into negotiations. Fomin states that it was due to "poor communications." But Scali warns Fomin that an invasion is now "only a matter of hours away." Fomin urges Scali to report to U.S. officials that there is no treachery involved and that he is expecting a reply from Khrushchev at any moment. - October 27 - 1700 - The President meets with General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. - October 27 - 1945 - Robert McNamara instructs Eugene Zuckert, Secretary of the Air Force, to order 24 Air Force Reserve units to active duty. Robert Kennedy states that "the expectation was a military confrontation by Tuesday and possibly tomorrow." - October 27 - 2005 - President Kennedy sends a letter to Moscow, and a copy is transmitted to the press, stating, in part, "1. You would agree to remove these weapon systems from Cuba….2. We…would agree-upon the establishment of adequate arrangements through the United Nations, to ensure the carrying out and commitments (a) to remove promptly the quarantine measures now in effect and (b) to give assurances against the invasion of Cuba." - October 27 - 2050 - Fidel Castro indicates in a letter to the U.N. that work would cease on the missile sites provided the U.S. lift its blockade. The letter also invites U Thant to visit Cuba which he does on October 30. - October 27 - 2100 - U Thant tells Adlai Stevenson that the Soviet Union has refused to accept information about the blockade that the U.S. gave earlier in the day. - October 27 - 2100 - Robert McNamara states in an ExComm meeting that we had better have "plans for how to respond to the Soviet Union in Europe, because sure as hell they're going to do something there." DAY THIRTEEN: - October 28 - 0900 - In a message broadcast on Radio Moscow, Premier Khrushchev declares "the Soviet government, in addition to previously issued instructions on the cessation of further work at the building sites for the weapons, has issued a new order on the dismantling of the weapons which you describe as 'offensive,' and their crating and return to the Soviet Union." Shortly thereafter, President Kennedy writes "I consider my letter to you of October 27th and your reply of today as firm undertakings on the part of both our governments which should be promptly carried out." General Curtis LeMay suggests that the U.S. "go in and make a strike on Monday anyway." Castro, angered and enraged about the decision, apparently goes to San Antonio Air Force Base himself to shoot down a U.S. low-altitude aircraft, however, no planes pass over the base. - October 28 - 0954 - The President, David Powers and Lemoyne Billings, depart the White House to St. Stephens Church. - October 28 - 1100 - President Kennedy directs that no reconnaissance missions be flown during the day and that IL-28 bombers in Cuba be considered offensive, however, the U.S. should not "get hung up" on the issue of the IL-28s. - October 28 - Noon - Castro transmits a letter to the U.N. that U.S. assurance of non-aggression against Cuba is unsatisfactory unless it includes additional measures. He outlines five demands that include an end to all subversive activities carried out by the U.S. against Cuba. - October 28 - Evening - John Scali meets with Soviet official Fomin and states "I am under instructions to thank you. The information you provided Chairman Khrushchev was most helpful to him in making up his mind quickly." Fomin added "And that includes your explosion of Saturday." The World Breathes a Collective Sigh of Relief Soviet Forces begin to dismantle their missile bases on October 29. Kennedy insists the IL-28 bombers be removed as well. Castro refuses. Khrushchev stalls. U.S. nuclear forces remain on high alert for 22 more days before the IL-28 bombers are removed. In January 1963, Italy and Turkey announce that IRBMs stationed there will be phased out. Subversive Action by the U.S. Continues In June 1963 a new sabotage program against Cuba is approved by Kennedy. Its mission is "to nourish a spirit of resistance and disaffection which could lead to significant defections and other by-products of unrest." One day later, a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is signed establishing a "hot line" between the two countries.
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