Artifact Details
The Cuban Missile Crisis marked a watershed moment that demonstrated how technological collection and intelligence operations could inform policymakers’ decisions.
Following tense negotiations with the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviets eventually agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba and sent confirmation of that agreement to the White House via diplomatic channels. Sensing the urgency of this message and knowing the possible delay in diplomatic communications, the Soviets also broadcast the same message in Russian over Radio Moscow, hoping the US would hear it and relay it to President Kennedy more quickly. In cooperation with British partners, the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (CIA’s unclassified print and broadcast media center) monitored the radio transmission, translated the message, and flashed it to the White House before the official diplomatic version arrived.
Artifact Specs
24 cm x 20 cm
(L x W)