The Cuban Missile Crisis
Thirteen days, and one Soviet officer who said no
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In October 1962, American spy planes discovered that the Soviet Union was building launch sites for nuclear missiles in Cuba, 150 kilometres from Florida. The most dangerous moment became known only decades later: aboard the Soviet submarine B-59, under depth charges and out of radio contact, second-in-command Vasili Arkhipov refused to give the consent required to fire a nuclear torpedo. The crisis produced the direct line between Washington and Moscow and the test ban treaty of 1963. It is also the standard case in the study of how decisions are made under time pressure and incomplete information.
For children
The Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, and the United States blockaded the island. For thirteen days the world stood close to nuclear war. The crisis ended with the missiles removed — and the United States quietly withdrawing its own missiles from Turkey.
Sources
- Allison & Zelikow, Essence of Decision (2. utg., 1999)
- National Security Archive, George Washington University: Cuban Missile Crisis-samlingen
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