THE THIRTEEN DAYS
"Now the Cold War has disappeared into history, we can say authoritatively that the world came closest to blowing itself up during thirteen days in October 1962" -Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (Kennedy).
"A U-2 aircraft flies over western Cuba from south to north. The reconnaissance mission, piloted by Richard Heyser, is the first Strategic Air Command (SAC) mission after authority for the flights is transferred from the CIA to the Air Force. The photographs obtained by the mission provide the first hard evidence of MRBM sites in Cuba" (Chang and Kornbluh).
"Quick readout teams at the National Photographic Interpretations Center (NPIC) in Washington analyze the photos taken by Richard Heyser's U-2 mission...Analysis of the reconnaissance photos during the day also identifies all but one of the remaining twenty-four SAM sites in Cuba. Other photographs of San Julián airfield show that IL-28 light bombers are being uncrated" (Chang and Kornbluh).
Memorandum: U-2 Overflights of Cuba, 29 August through 14 October, 1962
“Research by the interpreters, comparing the August 29th photography with that of two similar installations recently noted elsewhere, had by September 14th enabled them to identify the installation as a cruise missile site.”
"Key Kennedy administration officials are tracked down in Washington and briefed about the discovery of the missiles. National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy... decides to wait until morning to alert President Kennedy.... he feared a hastily summoned meeting at night would jeopardize secrecy" (Chang and Kornbluh).
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Index of Days
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