ExComm chooses to quarantine Cuba. Khrushchev responds that he will not back down. For the first time, the U.S. Strategic Air Command moves to Defense Condition 2. Using Kennedy's television address , outline the U.S. picture of Soviet intentions. Soviet missiles shoot down a U.S. U-2 spy plane.
Tensions are at an all-time high.
Diplomacy prevails as Robert Kennedy and Andrei Gromyko agree that if the Soviet Union removes its missiles from Cuba, the United States will agree not to attack Cuba and will remove its missiles from Turkey. Nuclear war is avoided. Ask students to describe a situation where someone they know was on the verge of a fight, but really didn't want to fight because of the consequences. Think about what causes situations to escalate in our personal lives, in politics or power struggles. Watch this segment and look for solutions to the problems.