During the summer of 1962, the Soviets began developing nuclear missile sites in Cuba. That meant they could easily strike targets over much or North America. When air reconnaissance photos confirmed the sites' presence, President John F. Kennedy had to make a tough choice: destroy the sites and possibly trigger World War III or do nothing and not only expose the country to nuclear destruction but in effect concede world domination to the U.S.S.R.

Kennedy decided to get tough. He went on national television and announced that the U.S. Navy would throw up a blockade around Cuba and turn away any ships carrying materials that could be used at missile sites. He also demanded the sites be dismantled.

The world waited with trepidation for Soviet reaction.

Finally, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev suggested the missiles would be removed if the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba. The crisis — perhaps the closest the world came to nuclear conflict during the Cold War — was over, and the payoffs were ample. The U.S. and U.S.S.R. installed a hot line between the two countries' leaders to help defuse future confrontations, and in July 1963, all major countries except China and France agreed to stop above-ground testing of nuclear weapons.