Event 03 · History as decisions
Thirteen days, and the option that bought time
When US spy planes found Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba in October 1962, President Kennedy chose a naval blockade over an air strike, and a deal ended the crisis 13 days later.
- The Cuban missile crisis
- Cuba, Washington and Moscow
- 1962
- 3 min read
On this page
Before you readWhat would you do?
A key supplier suddenly raises prices and threatens to stop deliveries. Your team suggests three options: cut them off today, accept every demand, or keep orders running for two weeks while you talk to them and line up a backup supplier. Which choice best follows the lesson of the missile crisis?
Pick an answer now. The file tells you whether you were right.
01The file in one minute
1The discovery
On 14 October 1962 a US spy plane photographed Soviet nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba.
2The choice
Kennedy chose a naval blockade over air strikes, keeping stronger options in reserve and leaving time for talks.
3The deal
On 28 October the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles. The US quietly agreed to remove missiles from Turkey.
4The lesson for AI
For high-stakes choices, slow down, compare options and think through the steps yourself.
02Timeline
14 October 1962
A U-2 photographs Soviet missile sites in Cuba.
16 October 1962
Kennedy sees the photos and gathers his advisers.
22 October 1962
Kennedy announces a naval "quarantine" of Cuba on television.
27 October 1962
A U-2 is shot down over Cuba and its pilot killed.
28 October 1962
Khrushchev agrees to remove the missiles.
1963
Washington and Moscow set up a direct communication link.
03What happened
On 14 October 1962 an American U-2 spy plane photographed sites in Cuba where Soviet nuclear missiles were being installed, within range of much of the United States. On 16 October President John F. Kennedy was shown the photos and gathered a group of advisers, later called the ExComm.
Many advisers favoured air strikes on the missile sites, possibly followed by an invasion. Others argued for a naval blockade, which would stop more weapons arriving and leave room for talks. Kennedy chose the blockade, calling it a "quarantine", and announced it on television on 22 October.
Tension peaked on 27 October, when a U-2 was shot down over Cuba and its pilot killed. On 28 October the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba. Privately, the US also agreed to remove its own Jupiter missiles from Turkey. In 1963 the two sides set up a direct communication link, often called the hotline.
04The decisions that shaped it
The blockade worked as a decision because it was firm without being final. It showed resolve, gave the other side time to think, and kept stronger options available. Kennedy's team also argued openly and considered how the situation looked from Moscow, instead of agreeing quickly on the first plan.
Luck played a part too. Later accounts show several moments where a mistake or misunderstanding could have led to war.
The AI angle: when a decision is high-stakes and hard to reverse, slow down. Ask AI tools to lay out several options and their risks, then think through the steps yourself, instead of taking the first confident answer.
The idea behind this caseLesson: Ask it to think step by step →
05What to take from it
- When stakes are high, look for an option that buys time without closing off others.
- Invite people to argue against the favoured plan before you decide.
- Try to see the situation the way the other side sees it.
- Set up direct, clear lines of communication before a crisis, not during it.
07 — Sources
- The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962 · US Department of State, Office of the Historian · 1962
- Cuban Missile Crisis · John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum · 1962