Analysis of Thirteen Days Cuban Missile Crisis - AP U.S. History

JFK Saved the Day President John F. Kennedy was faced with tough decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Many of his advisors advocated a military assault on Cuba. With the power of hindsight, we now know that any type of invasion would have led to Cubans retaliating with ready short range nuclear weapons. The theory of brinksmanship and MAD (mutually assured destruction) did not seem to discourage or dissuade the Cubans, particularly Castro. JFK's decision …

…President was running a risk by not immediately removing the offensive weapons from Cuba, and the results could have been disastrous. The blockade, however, was the best choice because it let us remain maximum control of the situation, did not involve any battles, resulted in no nukes being dropped, and the problem was solved diplomatically. Considering JFK and his Executive Committee only took thirteen days to work the crisis out, they did a admirable job.