1. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 brought the United States and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war after the US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles installed in Cuba. 2. An intense 13-day standoff ensued as President John F. Kennedy imposed a naval blockade on Cuba and demanded the Soviets remove the missiles. 3. The crisis was resolved when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for a pledge from the US not to invade Cuba and to remove missiles from Turkey. Both sides then worked to reduce tensions and prevent future crises.

1. Why Wasn’t Unleashed the Third World War? 196 2 October The Whole World Was on the Verge of World War III… Confrontation of Two Political Systems After World War II

2. Caribbean Crisis

5. The Crucial Obstacle in American – Soviet Union relations.

12. The Soviet Missiles placed on Cuban territory.

19. The End of the Crisis Meeting of Two Political Leaders in Geneva.

20. Victory of Political Wisdom Very Difficult Negotiations in Geneva

22. From the reminiscences of the Soviet Ambassador in America A. Dobrinin : “ I shall always remember the fever of the October rocket crisis, when the peace was hanging on a thread, and when the leaders of the USA, the USSR and Cuba had to read the incoming papers on the spot and react upon them according to the situation. At the decisive moment of the crisis N. Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy turned out to be at the top, having shown courage, wisdom and political strain.

27. Thirdly, it is necessary to limit the range of territorial conflicts in which the super powers or their alliances are involved. They shouldn’t be permitted to reach the stage of using nuclear weapons, and the overgrowing of a regional military conflict into a global war.