Thirteen Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis

The chapters

1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

   The Revolution Next Door

   A revolution ninety miles from Florida, an invasion that fails in three days, and an idea in Moscow.

   Sources: Kennedy, 21 April 1961; Khrushchev Remembers (1970)

2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

   The Photograph

   Soldiers sail south with skis, a president draws a line, and a spy plane flies six minutes over Cuba.

   Sources: Kennedy, 4 September 1962; The U-2 photographs

3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

   Quarantine

   Secret tapes, a speech that stops the world, and two ambassadors at the UN.

   Sources: The ExComm tapes; Kennedy, 22 October 1962

4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

   Black Saturday

   Two letters, a pilot shot down, and a submarine captain who reaches for a nuclear torpedo.

   Sources: Khrushchev, 26 October 1962; B-59; The tapes

5. Chapter 5 · 5 min

   The Deal

   A radio message on Sunday morning, a deal nobody admits, and a wire between two capitals.

   Sources: Khrushchev, 28 October 1962; Kennedy, 10 June 1963

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

• Nikita KhrushchevSoviet Leader · Peasant’s Son · Gambler of 1962
• Richard HeyserU-2 Pilot · Air Force Major · The Man with the Camera
• Robert McNamaraSecretary of Defense · Ford Whiz Kid · Voice for the Blockade
• Vasili ArkhipovSoviet Naval Officer · Brigade Chief of Staff · The Man Who Said No
• Robert KennedyAttorney General · The President’s Brother · Envoy to Dobrynin
• John F. Kennedy35th President · Commander in Chief · The Man at the Brink

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “The Brink”. By the end of it, you can tell who really blinked in October 1962, and whether Kennedy called himself a doughnut.

Stories in this journey

1. Thirteen Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis
2. The Berlin Wall: A City Cut in Two