Archival footage of President John F. Kennedy’s Oval Office Address during the Cuban Missile Crisis. On October 22, 1962 President Kennedy addressed the nation on the build-up of Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, saying he had ordered a quarantine of the island and would continue military surveillance missions. He also said that the U.S. would consider any attack on the Western Hemisphere an attack on the U.S., “requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.” He also called on international diplomatic organizations to back the U.S.
President Kennedy's Cuban Missile Crisis Oval Office Address
In response to the build-up of Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, JFK ordered a quarantine of the island and military surveillance missions.