The world came close to a nuclear Armageddon during 13 days in October 1962 when the U.S. and the Soviet Union, over-armed with nuclear weapons, came eyeball to eyeball over the issue of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Take students behind the scenes of this tension-filled, unparalleled event with a thought provoking collection of primary source documents that includes: U-2 spy plane photos, a CIA map of missile installations, correspondence between President Kennedy and Soviet Chairman Khrushchev, text of Kennedy’s televised speech to the nation, a memorandum from Attorney General Robert Kennedy, newspaper front pages, and political cartoons. Historian: Christine Brendel Scriabine. The contents of this Focus Jackdaw feature:

Support Materials

• Illustrated Broadsheet Essay
• Timeline
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Recommended Reading List

Historical Documents

• Cuban Missile Crisis maps
• Surveillance photo-poster
• Draft of letter from President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev, October 20, 1962
• Press release: Text of President Kennedy’s speech to the nation, October 22, 1962
• Letters from Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy, October 24 and 27, 1962
• Memorandum from Attorney General Robert Kennedy, October 30, 1962
• Newspaper front pages: Evening Telegraph, Herkimer, NY, October 25, 1962, and Detroit News, October 30, 1962
• Political cartoon poster