Announcements

The Belfer Center will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 2022. Stay tuned for for event programming.


Read Graham Allison's new piece on the arms control lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis.


Read Graham Allison's analysis of how the legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis informs US policymakers' response to the war in Ukraine.


Download our tools for middle school, high school, and college teachers to engage students in thinking about this decisive chapter in American and world history.


Read our new report series 'The Great Rivalry: China vs. the U.S. in the 21st Century'

Welcome

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs has created this website as a resource on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Designed to help policymakers, students, and interested citizens draw lessons from these critical events half a century ago, this site not only provides background on the crisis, but also offers tools to understand how it can inform contemporary policy.

Background

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis? Background, chronologies, and FAQs

Lessons

What are the most important lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Read lessons drawn by presidents and statesmen, and submit your own.

For Educators

Interested in teaching your students about the Cuban Missile Crisis? Click here for reading lists, case-studies and lesson plans.

Nuclear Danger Today

Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster. What are the greatest nuclear threats we face today?