What happened
Radio Moscow broadcast the Soviet decision to remove the missiles. Washington received the announcement cautiously but positively. The immediate confrontation eased; dismantling, verification and further negotiations remained. For Cuba, the terms and the lack of consultation raised problems that would continue into November.
Sources for this passage: [1] [2]- 01
Public agreement
Soviet missiles leave Cuba
Khrushchev announces withdrawal on 28 October.
- 02
Public assurance
The United States will not invade
Kennedy offers an assurance against invasion within the settlement.
- 03
Private assurance
Jupiter missiles leave Turkey
The understanding is kept out of the public exchange; withdrawal follows in 1963.
Simplified explanatory diagram. Read the surrounding account and its sources for the conditions, chronology and limits.
Agreement first, verification afterwards
Khrushchev announced acceptance over Radio Moscow. Washington could now work towards dismantling and removal instead of an immediate attack, but the details still mattered: how to confirm the withdrawal, what to do about the bombers and how to address Cuban objections.
Castro had not negotiated the superpower exchange and resisted arrangements that treated Cuban sovereignty as something Washington and Moscow could settle between themselves. The quarantine and reconnaissance did not end that morning. The Il-28 dispute continued into November, and the final Soviet tactical nuclear warheads left Cuba on 1 December.
Sources for this passage: [1] [2] [3]