Rumors of Soviet Missiles.

During the summer of 1962 there were frequent reports of unusual Soviet activities in Cuba, including rumors that the Soviets might be installing missiles there. By late August intelligence reports confirmed that several large ships had brought Soviet military equipment and personnel to the island, although neither were thought to provide any offensive military capability. For some time the United States had used aerial reconnaissance and photography to monitor all Soviet ships coming to Cuba and had been making twice-monthly reconnaissance flights over Cuba itself. On 29 August President John F. Kennedy ordered periodic flights over Cuba by high-speed, high-altitude U-2 spy planes. Although U-2 flights through 7 October showed Soviet antiaircraft missile (SAM) sites under construction and the introduction of Soviet-built patrol boats, they turned up no hard evidence of offensive missile sites or introduction of...