Secret Removal of Jupiter Missiles from Turkey — Cuban Missile Crisis Resolution
In April 1963, six months after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States quietly dismantled and removed the fifteen Jupiter missiles from Turkey, fulfilling a secret commitment made by Robert Kennedy to Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin at the height of the crisis in October 1962. The removal was the publicly undisclosed quid pro quo of the crisis settlement: in exchange for Soviet withdrawal of missiles from Cuba, the US pledged to remove the Jupiters from Turkey within six months and not to invade Cuba. Kennedy insisted the missile withdrawal remain secret because he feared it would appear to be a concession made under Soviet pressure — damaging NATO solidarity and his domestic political position. The secrecy surrounding the Turkish component of the Missile Crisis resolution shaped historical understanding of the crisis for decades. The American government's public narrative — that the Soviets backed down unconditionally under US pressure — was misleading. In reality, both sides made concessions: Khrushchev received the removal of the Turkish missiles (which he had demanded) and a non-invasion pledge; Kennedy received the removal of the Cuban missiles. Soviet silence about the secret deal allowed Kennedy to claim a public victory. The full picture emerged only in the 1990s when Soviet archives and US documents were declassified and former participants — including Dobrynin — published their memoirs.
- Year: 1963 CE
- Category: Diplomatic
