July in Focus

The events leading up to the Cuban missile crisis as the Soviet military buildup in Cuba gathered momentum exactly half a century ago.

BY RACHEL DOBBS | JULY 17, 2012

July 12, 1962

Soviet headquarters staff leave for Cuba from Sevastopol aboard the passenger ship Latvia. The ship's declared destination is Conakry, Guinea. However, U.S. intelligence tracks Latvia heading towards Cuba.

Maj. Gen. Statsenko and the second party of Soviet military advisors arrive in Cuba on a reconnaissance mission. The above image shows the Soviet military headquarters on Cuba at El Chico, fifteen miles south of Havana.

Back in Moscow, the Soviet Presidium discusses sending economic aid to Cuba and decides to allot a group of economic councilors to be directed by the Soviet ambassador.

National Archives

 

Rachel Dobbs is a research assistant with the Cuban Missile Crisis +50 project. You can follow the project on Twitter at @missilecrisis62.