August Heats Up

Follow the events of August 1962, as Cold War tensions continue to unfold in the run-up to the Cuban missile crisis.

BY RACHEL DOBBS | AUGUST 2, 2012

Aug. 10, 1962

The director of the CIA, John McCone (above left), tells President John F. Kennedy that he suspects the Soviet Union is delivering medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) to Cuba, pointing to the sudden transfer of materials and personnel to the island. But McCone has no substantial evidence to support this hunch yet.

Later in the day, a CIA agent reports rockets and "probably atomic bombs" arriving at the port of Mariel in Cuba.

JFK Library

 

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