The closest the world has come to nuclear war was the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.

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The closest the world has come to nuclear war was
the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.
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According to Nikita Khrushchev's memoirs, in May
1962 he conceived the idea of placing
intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Cuba as a
means of countering an emerging lead of the
United States in developing and deploying
strategic missiles. He also presented the scheme
as a means of protecting Cuba from another United
States-sponsored invasion, such as the failed
attempt at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
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After obtaining Fidel Castro's approval, the
Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to build
missile installations in Cuba.
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The Soviets had installed nuclear missiles in
Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United
States. U.S. armed forces were at their highest
state of readiness.
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On October 16, President John Kennedy was shown
photographs of Soviet missile installations under
construction in Cuba. After seven days of debate
in the United States administration, during which
Soviet diplomats denied that installations for
offensive missiles were being built in Cuba,
Kennedy, on October 22, announced on television
the discovery of the installations and stated
that any nuclear attack from Cuba would be
regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union and
would be responded to accordingly. He also
imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba to prevent
further Soviet shipments of offensive military
weapons from arriving there.
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U-2 photograph of Soviet troop encampment at
Holguin.
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October 15 1962 U-2 photograph of bomber crates
at San Julian airfield.
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Soviet Ships Carrying Jet Light Bomber Crates to
Cuba
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November 9, 1962 6 Frog (Luna) missile
transporters under a tree at a military camp.
U.S. photo analysts first spotted these tactical
nuclear-capable missiles on October 25, but only
in 1992 did U.S. policymakers learn that nuclear
warheads for the Lunas were already in Cuba in
October 1962.
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Soviet field commanders in Cuba were authorized
to use tactical nuclear weapons if invaded by the
U.S. The fate of millions literally hinged upon
the ability of two men, President Kennedy and
Premier Khrushchev, to reach a compromise.
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October 29, 1962
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Curtis LeMay
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Gen. Curtis LeMay of the Air Force, champion of
American nuclear weapons, all but calls the
President a coward to his face. Gen. David Shoup
of the Marines curses behind the President's back
after Kennedy rejects the generals' plans for an
all-out attack on Cuba.
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This is almost as bad as the appeasement at
Munich.... I just don't see any other solution
except direct military intervention right now."
LeMay
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Later, Kennedy tells an aide to make sure that
the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not start a war
without his approval. "I don't want these nuclear
weapons firing without our knowing it," he says.
"I don't think we ought to accept the Chiefs'
word on that one."
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"I think there are many times when it would be
most efficient to use nuclear weapons. However,
the public opinion in this country and throughout
the world throw up their hands in horror when you
mention nuclear weapons, just because of the
propaganda that's been fed to them." -- 3
October, 1968
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RFK played a vital role on the ExCom, beginning
as an impassioned hawk whose evolution toward
controlled compromise helped to defuse the
crisis.
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The White HouseOctober 22, 1962 Good evening, my
fellow citizens This Government, as promised,
has maintained the closest surveillance of the
Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba.
Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has
established the fact that a series of offensive
missile sites is now in preparation on that
imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can
be none other than to provide a nuclear strike
capability against the Western Hemisphere
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Protesters on Both Sides Outside the White House
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During the crisis, the two sides exchanged many
letters, both formal and "back channel."
Khrushchev sent letters to Kennedy on October 23
and 24 indicating the deterrent nature of the
missiles in Cuba and the peaceful intentions of
the Soviet Union. On October 26, Khrushchev sent
Kennedy a long rambling letter seemingly
proposing that the missile installations would be
dismantled and personnel removed in exchange for
United States assurances that it or its proxies
would not invade Cuba.
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On October 27, another letter to Kennedy arrived
from Khrushchev, suggesting that missile
installations in Cuba would be dismantled if the
US dismantled its missile installations in
Turkey. The American administration decided to
ignore this second letter and to accept the offer
in the letter of October 26. Khrushchev then
announced on October 28 that he would dismantle
the installations and return them to the Soviet
Union, expressing his trust that the US would not
invade Cuba.
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Further negotiations were held to implement the
October 28 agreement, including a United States
demand that Soviet light bombers also be removed
from Cuba, and to specify the exact form and
conditions of United States assurances not to
invade Cuba
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To quote Secretary of State Dean Rusk, "We were
eyeball to eyeball and the other guy just
blinked."
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