STREAMING PROGRAM INFORMATION

• This program is part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
• Platform: Zoom
• Online registration is required.
• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.

In October 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union faced off over Russia’s decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter an American invasion. President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade around the island to prevent additional missiles from being delivered. 

After several days of tense negotiations, Premier Khrushchev agreed to dismantle weapons in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union if the U.S. publicly declared it would not invade Cuba. It’s now widely known that Kennedy also agreed to dismantle all U.S.-built ballistic missiles deployed in Turkey, weapons that were capable of reaching the Soviet Union.

Far fewer people know of the additional steps taken by the U.S. to de-escalate the situation while continuing to assure European security against potential Soviet aggression. The USS Sam Houston, the nation's seventh Polaris submarine, played a significant role in that effort during its deployment in the Mediterranean.

Naval historian David Rosenberg and retired Admiral Cecil Haney, former commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, provide context. They are joined by two retired officers who experienced the tensions as they played out: Rear Admiral George Ellis, who was at the Belgian headquarters of NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and Captain Al Perry, who was aboard the Sam Houston.

This program is made possible in part by Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries; Northrop Grumman Corp.; Systems Planning & Analysis; and USAA.

Patron Information

• Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
• Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
• View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.