世界史关键时刻·英语30篇（2）

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古巴导弹危机：震动世界的十三天

In October 1962, U.S. spy planes photographed Soviet nuclear missile sites under construction in Cuba—just 90 miles from Florida.
President Kennedy demanded their removal and imposed a naval ‘quarantine’—a carefully worded term to avoid declaring war.
Soviet ships carrying more missiles approached the line but stopped short, buying time for secret negotiations between Washington and Moscow.
Behind closed doors, Khrushchev offered to withdraw missiles if the U.S. pledged not to invade Cuba and removed Jupiter missiles from Turkey.
Kennedy publicly accepted the first condition, secretly agreed to the second—and kept the Turkey deal hidden for over twenty-five years.
The crisis ended on October 28 when Moscow announced dismantling the sites, verified by U.S. aerial surveillance within days.
Both superpowers realized how close they’d come to accidental nuclear war—and established a direct ‘hotline’ between the White House and Kremlin.
New arms control talks followed, leading to the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963, banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere and oceans.
Cuban leaders felt sidelined in the agreement, highlighting tensions between allies during Cold War power plays.
Today, historians stress that empathy, restraint, and backchannel communication—not just military strength—prevented catastrophe.