The Cuban Missile Crisis

National History Day
2022 Guides - Theme: Debate & Diplomacy in History
The Executive Committee of the National Security Council meeting in the White House Cabinet Room during the Cuban Missile Crisis

Getting Started

Begin your research by brainstorming keywords - the words and phrases you’ll use to search for books, articles, websites, government documents, and other resources. These may include names of people and places or historical concepts like eras and movements. A librarian can suggest “subject headings” to find the most relevant resources.

Example Keywords & Catalog Subject Headings

Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962.
Nuclear crisis control -- History -- 20th century.
Nuclear disarmament
United States -- Foreign relations -- Soviet Union
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeevich, 1894-1971.

Books/Print Resources at DPL

Nuclear folly : a history of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Anatomy of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Thirteen days : a memoir of the Cuban missile crisis
High noon in the Cold War : Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban missile crisis

Database/Online Resources

Library databases are online collections of information, organized for research. Databases contain articles, eBooks, images, maps, primary sources and more. If you don’t have a library card, register online for immediate access to these resources. The following recommended databases are available on our Research and Teen Social Studies pages.

Explora High School (Ebsco)

Look up topic overviews, magazine and academic journal articles, facts and primary sources for research papers, class projects or homework. Get information from trustworthy sources that you can cite in your papers. Designed with students and educators in mind.

Available with library card

Visit Explora High School (Ebsco)
Sample Articles
Cuban Missile Crisis
Sample Articles
Cuban Crisis: A Step-by-Step Review: Cuban Crisis: A Step-by-Step Review of Events That Led to Naval Quarantine SOVIET BUILD-UP STARTED IN JULY U.S. Reconnaissance Flight of Oct. 14 Provided Photo Evidence Second Week of Crisis as Situation Passed Climax

Gale eBooks

Access full-text encyclopedias covering the arts, biography, country studies, history, law, literature, religion, science, social science and more! Great for research and homework. Video tutorial

Available with library card

Visit Gale eBooks
Sample Articles
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis: An Overview
Sample Articles
Khrushchev and Kennedy
The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Soviet View

Prospector: Materials from Other Colorado and Wyoming Libraries

​​As a Denver Public Library customer, you can also borrow materials from other libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. Use Prospector to request materials that DPL does not own.

One minute to midnight : Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the brink of nuclea…
The Cuban Missile Crisis in American memory : myths versus reality
The fourteenth day : JFK and the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Internet Sources

Before using information you find on the internet for assignments and research, it is important to establish that the information comes from a reliable and appropriate source. The following websites, from government, academic and nonprofit organizations, have been evaluated for authority, accuracy, content and currency.

Why We Should Still Study the Cuban Missile Crisis
United States Institute of Peace Special Report by Michael Dobbs "offers policymakers and students of history unique insights into the interplay between the debates in the Oval Office and fast-moving events in the rest of the world."
One Step from Nuclear War. The Cuban Missile Crisis at 50: In Search of Histori…
National Archives Prologue Article by Martin Sherwin
Cuban Missile Crisis-John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Site contains radio and television address to the American people on the Soviet Arms Build-up in Cuba, 22 October 1962. Also contains interactive step-by-step walk through of the historical event.

Contact the Reference Services department for help with your research project