Origins and Causes
The failed 1961 US-backed invasion by Cuban exiles aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro.
What was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
The action JFK chose instead of an immediate airstrike or invasion to stop Soviet ships.
What was a naval blockade (or "naval quarantine")?
The leader who nationalized US-owned oil refineries and sugar plantations in Cuba in 1960.
Who was Fidel Castro?
The direct communication line established between Washington and Moscow after the crisis.
What was the Hotline (or Moscow-Washington hotline)?
The US state where Jupiter missiles were secretly placed, threatening the USSR's southern border.
What is Turkey?
The special group of advisors JFK formed to guide him during the crisis
What was ExComm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council)?
The Soviet Premier who ordered nuclear missiles sent to Cuba.
Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
The 1963 treaty signed by the US, USSR, and UK banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater, and in space.
What was the Limited Test Ban Treaty?
The main reason Khrushchev gave for placing nuclear missiles in Cuba (besides defending Cuba).
What was to redress the missile gap / balance US nuclear superiority in Europe?
The date often called "Black Saturday," when a U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba.
What was October 27, 1962?
JFK's Attorney General (and brother) who secretly negotiated with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin.
Who was Robert F. Kennedy?
The political consequence Khrushchev suffered in 1964 partly due to his handling of the crisis.
What was being ousted / removed from power by the Politburo?
The US intelligence asset that took the definitive photos of Soviet missile sites in Cuba on October 14, 1962.
What was the U-2 spy plane?
The second demand Khrushchev added in his second letter to Kennedy on October 27.
What was the removal of US Jupiter missiles from Turkey?
The pro-US dictator of Cuba overthrown by the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
Who was Fulgencio Batista?
The public perception of JFK's outcome vs. the reality of the deal.
What was that JFK looked like a strong victor while the Turkey missile deal remained secret?
The term for the US policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism, which motivated action in Cuba.
What is Containment?
The tactical move JFK used to resolve the crisis on October 27 (ignoring the second letter).
What was the "Trollope Ploy" (responding only to the first letter while making a secret deal on Turkey)?
The US Ambassador to the UN who dramatically confronted the Soviets with aerial photos at the Security Council.
Who was Adlai Stevenson?
The foreign policy shift from brinkmanship toward easing Cold War tensions in the late 1960s/1970s.
What was Détente?