What happened
Further reconnaissance revealed additional missile installations. American units moved towards bases in the southeastern United States. Kennedy continued public engagements while advisers examined the options. Information was accumulating, but the presence and readiness of every weapon remained uncertain.
Sources for this passage: [1]More photographs, more pressure to act
Further coverage expanded the intelligence picture beyond the first discovery. The JFK Library chronology records an estimate of sixteen to thirty-two missiles, while American military units began moving towards the south-eastern United States. These were preparations for possible action, not an announcement that invasion had been chosen.
Each new image raised a timing problem. Waiting could provide a clearer picture of the deployment, but it also allowed construction to continue. The resulting estimates were working assessments: the number of missiles observed, the number of launch positions and the number ready to fire were not interchangeable quantities.
Sources for this passage: [1] [2]