Aug. 25, 1962
The freighter Omsk leaves the Soviet port of Sebastopol carrying six R-12 rockets and 264 men. Instructions for the route are kept in sealed envelopes to be opened en route. It is not until the third envelope is opened that the ship is ordered to "proceed to Cuba."
Aug. 26, 1962
Che Guevara and Emilio Aragones Navarro -- a close associate of Fidel Castro -- arrive in the Soviet Union to discuss the missile deployments. They are greeted by Khrushchev's defense minister, Rodion Malinovsky (above right), who assures them, "You don't have to worry ... there will be no big reaction from the American side."
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
