In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F.
Kennedy announced on October 22, 1962 that U.S. spy planes
have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
These missile sites—under construction but nearing completion —housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number
of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C.
Kennedy announced that he was ordering a naval “quarantine”
of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from transporting any more
offensive weapons to the island and explained that the United
States would not tolerate the existence of the missile sites
currently in place.
The president made it clear that America would not stop short
of military action to end what he called a “clandestine, reckless
and provocative threat to world peace.”
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