Introduction
The Cuban Missile Crisis was an intense, two week standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union over the placement of Soviet missiles on the island nation of Cuba in the Summer and Fall of 1962. Cuba, only ninety miles from American soil, was an uncomfortably close location for Soviet nuclear weapons, as from there they could strike any major U.S. city without any warning. Explore the secondary source article below to understand the basic timeline of events before reviewing pertinent primary sources.

This excerpt can be found at http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/fall/cuban-missiles.html This article was adapted from The Cuban Missile Crisis: President Kennedy's Address to the Nation, published by NARA in 1988 as part of its "Milestone Documents in the National Archives" series.

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This memo was presented by CIA Director John McCone to the president and his cabinet to update the situation of the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 17, 1962.

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This document is a typed compilation of notes made by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara after meeting with President Kennedy about the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 21, 1962.

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The following text is the minutes from a meeting that President Kennedy had with his advisors about teh Cuban Missile Crisis on October 19th, 1962.

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The following document is a Central Intelligence Agency report on the consequences of certain proposed and considered United States actions in Cuba over the Cuban Missile Crisis, from October 20th, 1962.

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This document is a handwritten note summarizing the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis from October 23, 1962.

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The text below is excerpted from a report presented to President Kennedy and his Executive Committee on October 25, 1962. This "Scenario for Airstrike against Offensive Missile Bases and Bombers in Cuba," weighs the pros and cons of a potential American strike to remove Soviet weapons and influence from the island of Cuba.