Question

Which Cold War event is being described in the passage below?

"This Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet Military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere...."
President John F. Kennedy, October 22, 1962

a. Cuban Missile Crisis
b. Truman Doctrine
c. Berlin Airlift
d. U-2 Incident

Answer 1

The passage describes the Cuban Missile Crisis, a critical moment in the Cold War when the U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to a standoff resolved by diplomatic negotiations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The event described in the passage is the Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred in October 1962. The crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy addressed the nation on October 22, 1962, confirming that reconnaissance flights had discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba, which could launch nuclear attacks on the Western Hemisphere.

The U.S. responded with a naval blockade to prevent further missiles from arriving, leading to a tense standoff that ultimately ended with the Soviets agreeing to remove their missiles in exchange for the U.S. agreeing to not invade Cuba and eventually removing its missiles from Turkey.