President John F. Kennedy meets with former president Dwight D. Eisenhower at Camp David following the Bay of Pigs fiasco. (Robert Knudsen. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, Boston.)

Journalists photograph President Kennedy as he delivers his dramatic address to the nation on October 22, 1962. (Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

President Kennedy signs the proclamation to authorize a naval quarantine of Cuba as the United States attempts to block the arrival of offensive weapons. (Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

John F. Kennedy leaves mass on Sunday, October 28, the day Khrushchev agreed to withdraw missiles from Cuba. (Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

Reconnaissance photo shows work at San Cristobal missile site. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

Aerial photo shows nuclear warhead bunker under construction in Cuba. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

Map shows Soviet ships traveling toward Cuba on the day JFK announced the quarantine. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

Weapons on parade in the Soviet Union during November 1962 represent a physical manifestation of the arms race. (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)