[163] In March 1962, Kennedy rejected Operation Northwoods, proposals for false flag attacks against American military and civilian targets,[164] and blaming them on the Cuban government in order to gain approval for a war against Cuba. However, the administration continued to plan for an invasion of Cuba in the summer of 1962.[163]

Cuban Missile Crisis
Main article: Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy confers with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, October 1962

Address on the Buildup of Arms in Cuba
17:37
Kennedy addressing the nation on October 22, 1962, about the buildup of arms on Cuba
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Cuban Missile Crisis

On October 14, 1962, CIA U-2 spy planes took photographs of the Soviets' construction of intermediate-range ballistic missile sites in Cuba. The photos were shown to Kennedy on October 16; a consensus was reached that the missiles were offensive in nature and thus posed an immediate nuclear threat.[165]
Kennedy faced a dilemma: if the U.S. attacked the sites, it might lead to nuclear war with the U.S.S.R., but if the U.S. did nothing, it would be faced with the increased threat from close-range nuclear weapons. 