On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was shown photographs of Soviet nuclear missile installations under construction in Cuba. The installation of medium-range missiles just 90 miles off the coast of Florida would put the Eastern United States at risk of a nuclear attack that could come on very short notice. President Kennedy called together a group of his closest advisers to discuss how the United States should respond to the specter of Soviet missiles in Cuba: should there be invasion, air strikes, a blockade, or diplomacy?