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It's not hard to imagine a world[br]where at any given moment,

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you and everyone you know could be[br]wiped out without warning

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at the push of a button.

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This was the reality for millions[br]of people during the 45-year period

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after World War II,

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now known as the Cold War.

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As the United States and Soviet Union[br]faced off across the globe,

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each knew that the other had nuclear[br]weapons capable of destroying it.

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And destruction never loomed closer[br]than during the 13 days

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of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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In 1961, the U.S. unsuccessfully tried to[br]overthrow Cuba's new communist government.

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That failed attempt was known[br]as the Bay of Pigs,

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and it convinced Cuba to seek help[br]from the U.S.S.R.

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Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev[br]was happy to comply

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by secretly deploying nuclear[br]missiles to Cuba,

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not only to protect the island,

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but to counteract the threat from[br]U.S. missiles in Italy and Turkey.

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By the time U.S. intelligence [br]discovered the plan,

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the materials to create the missiles[br]were already in place.

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At an emergency meeting on[br]October 16, 1962,

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military advisors urged an airstrike[br]on missile sites

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and invasion of the island.

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But President John F. Kennedy chose[br]a more careful approach.

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On October 22, he announced that the[br]the U.S. Navy

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would intercept all shipments to Cuba.

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There was just one problem:

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a naval blockade was considered[br]an act of war.

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Although the President called it[br]a quarantine

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that did not block basic necessities,

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the Soviets didn't appreciate [br]the distinction.

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In an outraged letter to Kennedy,

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Khrushchev wrote, "The violation [br]of freedom to use international waters

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and international airspace[br]is an act of aggression

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which pushes mankind toward the abyss[br]of world nuclear missile war."

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Thus ensued the most intense[br]six days of the Cold War.

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While the U.S. demanded the removal[br]of the missiles,

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Cuba and the U.S.S.R insisted[br]they were only defensive.

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And as the weapons continued[br]to be armed,

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the U.S. prepared for a possible invasion.

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On October 27, a spy plane piloted[br]by Major Rudolph Anderson

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was shot down by a Soviet missile.

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The same day, a nuclear-armed Soviet[br]submarine was hit by a small-depth charge

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from a U.S. Navy vessel trying[br]to signal it to come up.

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The commanders on the sub,[br]too deep to communicate with the surface,

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thought war had begun[br]and prepared to launch a nuclear torpedo.

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That decision had to be made unanimously[br]by three officers.

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The captain and political officer[br]both authorized the launch,

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but Vasili Arkhipov, [br]second in command, refused.

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His decision saved the day[br]and perhaps the world.

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But the crisis wasn't over.

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For the first time in history,

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the U.S. Military set itself[br]to DEFCON 2,

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the defense readiness one step[br]away from nuclear war.

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With hundreds of nuclear missiles[br]ready to launch,

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the metaphorical Doomsday Clock[br]stood at one minute to midnight.

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But diplomacy carried on.

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In Washington, D.C., Attorney General[br]Robert Kennedy

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secretly met with Soviet Ambassador[br]Anatoly Dobrynin.

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After intense negotiation,[br]they reached the following proposal.

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The U.S. would remove their missiles[br]from Turkey and Italy

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and promise to never invade Cuba

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in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal[br]from Cuba under U.N. inspection.

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Once the meeting had concluded,

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Dobrynin cabled Moscow saying [br]time is of the essence

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and we shouldn't miss the chance.

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And at 9 a.m. the next day,

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a message arrived from Khrushchev[br]

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announcing the Soviet missiles would be[br]removed from Cuba.

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The crisis was now over.

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While criticized at the time by their[br]respective governments

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for bargaining with the enemy,

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contemporary historical analysis[br]shows great admiration

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for Kennedy's and Khrushchev's ability[br]to diplomatically solve the crisis.

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But the disturbing lesson was that[br]a slight communication error,

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or split-second decision by a commander,[br]could have thwarted all their efforts,

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as it nearly did if not for [br]Vasili Arkhipov's courageous choice.

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The Cuban Missile Crisis revealed just how[br]fragile human politics are

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compared to the terrifying power[br]they can unleash.