Cuban Missile Crisis Articles & Newspapers

The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in 1962, and records of this event are mostly found in Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper articles from that time. This occurred during the Cold War when the Soviet Union, who was behind in the arms race with America, decided to station nuclear weapons within reach of the U.S. in Cuba. At that time, Soviet missiles could only reach European targets, but couldn't be launched to hit American soil. American missiles, however, were capable of reaching the Soviet Union.

Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper reports from October 1962 debated whether the U.S. would be engaged in the first nuclear war. Both Cuba and the Soviet Union wanted to prevent the U.S. from attacking by having their own weapons ready to launch. As tensions rose, Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper accounts described how peace talks were going nowhere.

In secret negotiation revealed later in Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper accounts, President Kennedy and United Nations Secretary-General U Thant covertly spoke with Premier Nikita Khrushchev to end the conflict. This secret proposal led to the Soviets disarming and removing their weapons from Cuba, while the United States promised never to attack Cuba and to deactivate their nuclear weapons.

Cuban Missile Crisis Timeline

1959: The U.S. deployed nuclear missiles aimed at the Soviet Union in Italy and Turkey.

1961: Cuba openly became allies with the Soviets, which led to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of the U.S. into Cuba. This, led under President Kennedy, made the Soviets more confident, despite being behind in the nuclear arms race.

1962: In May, the Soviet Union secretly deployed nuclear missiles aimed at the U.S. in their new ally Cuba. By October, these missiles were public knowledge, and nuclear war seemed imminent. By late October, an agreement was reached between the Soviets and the U.S.

1962-1963: In November 1962, the Soviets removed their weapons from Cuba and removed their bombers in December. By September 1963, the U.S. had deactivated their weapons in Italy and Turkey, although this fact remained secret while the Soviet removal was publicized.

Cuban Missile Crisis Newspaper Articles

The Daily Review out of California printed their Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper articles leading with the headline "Cuba-Bound Vessel, Boarded and Searched" on October 26, 1962. This was just two days before the official secret agreement between the U.S. and Soviet Union was to be reached in order to reestablish peace.

This Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article reported that a Lebanese ship on route to Cuba was stopped by the U.S. and boarded. After a cooperative inspection, the ship was allowed to continue its journey to Cuba. This inspection was a result of the U.S. quarantine on Cuba, forbidding ships carrying military weapons aid to reach Cuba. This quarantine was not well-received by the Soviets or the Cubans and was also denounced by China. The quarantine had already searched a Russian tanker that was allowed to pass through the blockade surrounding Cuba because it only contained petroleum, which wasn't prohibited cargo.

Also reported in the Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article was the fact that the Soviets had returned another document from the American Embassy regarding the blockade of Cuba. This article cited that this was the third note rejected by the Soviets regarding the quarantine of Cuba, but suggested that talks between the Americans and Soviets were still "friendly." The Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article also discussed the secret intelligence meeting held behind closed doors among 60 governors and 12 congressmen from western states. This meeting's only topic was the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper articles from the Post-Standard out of Syracuse, New York, on October 26, 1962, began with the main headline "JFK Agrees to Talks But Blockade Stays." This Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article was also referring to the American quarantine declared on October 22. This quarantine was supported by a naval blockade around Cuba, which would search any vessel bound for Cuba and prohibit the delivery of prohibited cargo, which meant military weapons.

Reported under the Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article headline "Navy Passes Red Tanker as Other Ships Turn Back," the paper described the first Russian tanker allowed to pass through the blockade after being searched, while over 12 Russian ships turned back to avoid the blockade. Also reported was a message from Pope John XXIII, urging leaders to try every possible way to establish a peaceful end to this conflict.

The Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article also reported that other countries were protesting the U.S. blockade, some with violence aimed at American Embassies abroad, including Prague. Latin American governments were pledging their support of the U.S. blockade, including Costa Rica, Columbia, El Salvador, Honduras, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Ecuador. Cubans were reported as simply waiting for a U.S. invasion to occur.

Another Cuban Missile Crisis newspaper article discussed the fact that while talks were being attempted between the Soviet Union and America, Russia would halt its arms if the U.S. would end its quarantine. This was being negotiated with the help of United Nations Secretary General Thant, who made no progress getting the U.S. to stop its blockade. Publicly, these talks appeared to be disintegrating with little hope of compromise. However, behind closed doors, President Kennedy, Secretary-General Thant and Premier Khrushchev would reach a peaceful agreement in two days that would effectively end the Cuban Missile Crisis.