Khrushchev Retreats: Soviet Missiles Leave Cuba
Nikita Khrushchev announced on Radio Moscow on October 28, 1962, that the Soviet Union would dismantle and remove its nuclear missile installations from Cuba. The announcement ended thirteen days of brinkmanship that had brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any point before or since. In exchange, Kennedy publicly pledged not to invade Cuba and secretly agreed to remove American Jupiter missiles from Turkey within six months. The public deal favored Kennedy; the private deal favored Khrushchev. Both leaders faced intense pressure from hardliners in their own governments. The crisis led directly to the installation of the 'hotline' teletype link between Washington and Moscow in 1963, and to the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed the same year. Khrushchev was ousted from power two years later.
October 28, 1962
64 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 28
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