The Cuban Missile Crisis, 40 Years Later Date: Thursday, October 17 @ 17:14:03 UTC Topic: Nuclear www.npr.org Oct. 11-13, 2002 -- The world's closest brush with nuclear war came 40 years ago this month, when the U.S. government learned the Soviet Union was preparing to put nuclear missiles in Cuba. For 13 days, President John F. Kennedy and his administration stared down their counterparts in Moscow, and the world braced for a holocaust. Some of the people who played key roles in the missile crisis are meeting in Havana, Cuba over the weekend to reflect on the experience and its relevance today. The Bush Administration has said Kennedy's handling of the missile crisis was an example of the effectiveness of pre-emptive action - the kind it may soon take against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. More from: npr.org AUDIO: Oct. 13, 2002: NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on the conclusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis meeting in Havana. Oct. 12, 2002: The conference, hosted by Fidel Castro, gets underway in Havana. Oct. 11, 2002: Gjelten gives a preview of the Havana conference and background on the crisis in 1962. President Kennedy addresses the nation on Oct. 22, 1962, revealing the threat of missiles in Cuba. Aldai Stevenson berates his Soviet counterpart at the United Nations to admit to putting nuclear missiles in Cuba. This article comes from Trinicenter.com http://www.trinicenter.com The URL for this story is: http://www.trinicenter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=79