During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which country had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba?

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The deployment created a dangerous confrontation with the United States because missiles stationed only about 145 kilometres from Florida could reach much of the continental United States.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban leader Fidel Castro agreed in 1962 to install the missiles partly to deter another American invasion of Cuba. The plan was discovered when US U-2 reconnaissance photographs revealed missile sites under construction. President John F. Kennedy responded by announcing a naval “quarantine” of Cuba on 22 October, rather than immediately ordering an air strike or invasion.

The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October and is widely regarded as the closest the Cold War came to nuclear war. The Soviet Union agreed to remove its missiles from Cuba. In a secret part of the settlement, the United States also agreed to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey and Italy and publicly pledged not to invade Cuba. China, North Korea, and East Germany were not the countries that installed the missiles.