cuban missile crisis

English - English

Definition of cuban missile crisis in English English dictionary: week-long crisis in 1962 during which the Soviet Union placed nuclear weapons in Cuba and the United States blockaded the island in retaliation; a dangerous situation which developed in 1962 when the Soviet Union began to build bases for nuclear missiles in Cuba. US President John F. Kennedy complained to the Soviet government, stopped all ships from going to Cuba, and threatened to take military action. This caused a lot of international anxiety, but after a few days the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missile base. (1962) Major confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. In October 1962 a U.S. spy plane detected a ballistic missile on a launching site in Cuba. Pres. John F. Kennedy placed a naval blockade around the island, and for several days the U.S. and the Soviet Union hovered on the brink of war. Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev finally agreed to remove the missiles in return for a secret commitment from the U.S. to withdraw its own missiles from Turkey and to never invade Cuba. The incident increased tensions during the Cold War and fueled the nuclear arms race between the two countries. See also Fidel Castro

cuban missile crisis