How did the superpowers come to the brink of war over Cuba?

Question

anonymous · Answer

The short answer is that the United States felt that having Soviets place nuclear tipped missiles in Cuba was too close for comfort. The missiles there would give the Soviets an even greater ability to strike most of the lower 48 states. 

The US discovered the threat and wanted the missiles out. Kennedy blocked Soviet ships from delivering more of them to Cuba which raised tensions even higher.

Khruschev felt that Kennedy was indecisive and weak after the humiliating Bay of Pigs incident. He also wanted the same advantage that the US had with its missiles in Turkey and Italy.