The discovery of active Soviet missiles in Cuba was a major shock for the US government and the public in 1962.
President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba, put the armed forces on alert. He negotiated with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during the crisis, demanding the withdrawal of the missiles from Cuba. In the end, Krushchev de-escalated and ordered the missiles out of Cuba. In exchange, he got a non-written commitment from the US administration not to invade the socialist island located 90 miles from Florida. The Missile Crisis of 1962 was the closest the world got to a nuclear war in recent history.
