Which U.S. president was in office during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy was the U.S. president in office, leading the nation through one of the most critical moments of the Cold War. This crisis occurred in October 1962 when the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the Florida coast. Kennedy's administration had to navigate a precarious situation that involved military readiness, diplomatic negotiation, and public communication.

Kennedy's decision-making during this time was marked by his creation of a carefully structured executive committee to debate potential responses to the crisis, demonstrating his approach to seeking balanced solutions while avoiding nuclear conflict. The resolution involved a clandestine agreement where the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba and also removed its missiles from Turkey in exchange for the Soviet Union withdrawing its missiles from Cuba. This event illustrated the intense geopolitical tensions of the era and the importance of strategic diplomacy.

The other presidents mentioned were not in office during this period, thus making them not part of the significant events associated with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Truman was president at the close of World War II, Eisenhower oversaw the early years of the Cold War, and Johnson's presidency occurred after Kennedy's assassination, making their leadership irrelevant to this specific