Cuba
It was against this background that Cuba became a major flashpoint of the Cold War. Cuba had only been communist since 1959 when Fidel Castro overthrew the American backed dictator Batista. Until then this Caribbean island had been an American ally and there was still a huge USA naval base at Guantanamao on the Eastern tip of the Island.

President Kennedy was not a man to shy away from a challenge. In 1961 he supplied arms, equipment and transport for anti-Castro exiles who attempted to invade Cuba from the Bay of Pigs and overthrow Castro. It was a disaster, but Castro was still worried. He actually wanted to run Cuba without interference, but the Americans attitude forced him to ask for help from the USSR. Khrushchev was not slow in making the most of this opportunity. In return for economic aid, Castro allowed the Soviets to build launch sites for anti-aircraft and nuclear missiles.

American spy planes spotted this work in October 1962. The amazing accuracy of these planes' cameras showed the sites being built but it was clear the missiles themselves had not arrived. Kennedy therefore blockaded Cuba - he was not prepared to have Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba.

He had several choices. He could invade Cuba, or blockade it with the US Navy so that the missiles could not be landed. He could also order the US Air Force to bomb the sites. Kennedy went for the blockade. As the Soviet freighters carrying the missiles approached Cuba Kennedy ordered American ships to intercept them. The world held its breath. As the ships faced each other, all the nuclear weapons of the Superpowers were put on standby and the two leaders engaged in brinkmanship over the future of the planet.

In the end Khrushchev made the first move. He offered to withdraw from Cuba if Kennedy agreed not to invade Cuba. After thoughtful consideration Kennedy agreed to this. In one sense, it went against the containment policy of stopping the spread of communism or turning communism back. However, it was not seen that way in the USA. A communist Cuba was an inconvenience, whereas a nuclear war was the end of civilisation.

In the event, both leaders emerged with something from the crisis. Kennedy had successfully stood up to Khrushchev and had made him back down. At the same time, the USSR had gained a useful ally in 'Uncle Sam's backyard' and a promise from the USA that Cuba would not be invaded. The fact that Khrushchev had been forced to back down over the question of missiles was quietly forgotten in Soviet circles, whereas Khrushchev's role as a responsible peacemaker was highlighted.

The aftermath of the crisis
After the crisis the two leaders must have thought long and hard about the events of October 1962. In a speech soon afterwards Kennedy made it clear that such an event should not be allowed to happen again. Whilst they might still disagree on just about everything, the crisis did encourage the USA and USSR to talk to each other - the famous 'hot line' phone link from the White House to the Kremlin was set up.

More importantly the USSR, USA and Britain signed a Test Ban Treaty in August 1963. It did not stop nuclear tests altogether but it was an important step. Despite the relief after the crisis, Kennedy was soon caught up in another Cold War conflict which was to brand itself on America's memory - the Vietnam War.