• After the Cuban Revolution, the United States became hostile toward the government of Fidel Castro. The failed Bay of Pigs Invasion reinforced Cuban fears of another U.S. invasion.
• At the same time, the U.S. had deployed PGM-19 Jupiter nuclear missiles in Turkey, close enough to threaten much of the western Soviet Union.
• In response, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. This was intended both to protect Cuba and to balance the strategic advantage the U.S. had gained from missiles near Soviet territory.

Did the missiles in Turkey prolong the crisis?

Indirectly, yes.

During the negotiations, Khrushchev demanded that the U.S. remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey. Publicly, the U.S. rejected linking the two issues. Privately, however, President John F. Kennedy agreed that the U.S. would remove the missiles from Turkey a few months later, provided the agreement remained secret.

The final settlement was:

• The Soviet Union removed its missiles from Cuba.
• The U.S. publicly pledged not to invade Cuba.
• The U.S. secretly agreed to remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

So, while the presence of U.S. missiles in Turkey did not by itself prolong the crisis, it was a central issue in the negotiations and became part of the compromise that ended the confrontation.

Regarding Castro, the U.S. had initially recognized his government after the revolution, but relations deteriorated rapidly after Cuba nationalized U.S.-owned property and moved closer to the Soviet Union. By 1961, the U.S. was actively seeking to remove Castro from power, including supporting the Bay of Pigs invasion.