WEBVTT

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

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you and everyone you know could be
wiped out without warning

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at the push of a button.

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This was the reality for millions
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
faced off across the globe,

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

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And destruction never loomed closer
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
overthrow Cuba's new communist government.

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That failed attempt was known
as the Bay of Pigs,

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

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Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev
was happy to comply

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by secretly deploying nuclear
missiles to Cuba,

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not only to protect the island,

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

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By the time U.S. intelligence 
discovered the plan,

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the materials to create the missiles
were already in place.

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At an emergency meeting on
October 16, 1962,

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military advisors urged an airstrike
on missile sites

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and invasion of the island.

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But President John F. Kennedy chose
a more careful approach.

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On October 22, he announced that the
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
an act of war.

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Although the President called it
a quarantine

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that did not block basic necessities,

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the Soviets didn't appreciate 
the distinction.

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In an outraged letter to Kennedy,

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

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and international airspace
is an act of aggression

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

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Thus ensued the most intense
six days of the Cold War.

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While the U.S. demanded the removal
of the missiles,

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

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And as the weapons continued
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
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
submarine was hit by a small-depth charge

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

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

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

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That decision had to be made unanimously
by three officers.

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The captain and political officer
both authorized the launch,

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but Vasili Arkhipov, 
second in command, refused.

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His decision saved the day
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
to DEFCON 2,

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the defense readiness one step
away from nuclear war.

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With hundreds of nuclear missiles
ready to launch,

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the metaphorical Doomsday Clock
stood at one minute to midnight.

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But diplomacy carried on.

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In Washington, D.C., Attorney General
Robert Kennedy

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secretly met with Soviet Ambassador
Anatoly Dobrynin.

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After intense negotiation,
they reached the following proposal.

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

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and promise to never invade Cuba

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

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Once the meeting had concluded,

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Dobrynin cabled Moscow saying 
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


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announcing the Soviet missiles would be
removed from Cuba.

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The crisis was now over.

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While criticized at the time by their
respective governments

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for bargaining with the enemy,

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contemporary historical analysis
shows great admiration

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

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But the disturbing lesson was that
a slight communication error,

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

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

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The Cuban Missile Crisis revealed just how
fragile human politics are

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compared to the terrifying power
they can unleash.