On 2 November 1962, US President John F. Kennedy confirmed that the USSR had begun withdrawing its missile bases from Cuba

On November 2, 1962, US President John F. Kennedy confirmed that the USSR had begun withdrawing its missile bases from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. Photo: John F. Kennedy during a press conference on November 2, 1962.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was an international political crisis that threatened to escalate into a nuclear conflict. It erupted in October 1962 as a result of the deployment of Soviet medium-range missiles in Cuba, which was the USSR's response to the deployment of American missiles in Turkey. In response, the United States declared a blockade of Cuba to prevent further missiles from reaching the territory. This succeeded, as Soviet vessels actually stopped at the border of the controlled zone. After further negotiations, the already installed missiles were removed, the United States pledged not to invade Cuba and to withdraw its medium-range missiles from Turkey, where the B61 tactical nuclear bombs are still located today.

wikipedia / photo: getty images - bettmann / gnews.cz-jav