Naval History and Heritage Command
Cordon of Steel
The U.S. Navy and the Cuban Missile Crisis
by Curtis A. Utz. No. 1, The U.S. Navy and the Modern World series, 1993.
Available in PDF (5.6 MB).
This monograph first appeared in 1993 and was later reissued in relation to the fortieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In that confrontation, the United States and the Soviet Union came as close as they ever would to global war. During this dramatic and historic event, the U.S. Navy demonstrated its value for resolving international crises. By forcefully employing naval forces, President John F. Kennedy was able to prevent the development of Fidel Castro's Cuba as an offensive bastion and to ensure the withdrawal of Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missiles from the island. The illustrated booklet features 60 photographs, maps, charts, and Navy art.
