FORGOTTEN CASUALTY OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1962, ONE DAY BEFORE “BLACK SATURDAY,” THE MOST TERRIFYING DAY OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, CIA DIRECTOR JOHN MCCONE GAVE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY MORE BAD NEWS ABOUT THE SOVIET MILITARY BUILD-UP ON THE ISLAND.
He explained that the Soviets were spending an estimated $1 billion on their military installations and that “rapid construction activity” was continuing. More alarming was the discovery of a Soviet FROG-7 missile launch system (also referred to as a Luna-M), a tactical nuclear weapon that could be used against an American invasion or the U.S. outpost at Guantanamo Bay.
This information prompted Strategic Air Command (SAC) to authorize a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance flight over Cuba for October 27. U.S. Air Force U-2s and Navy Vought RF-8 Crusaders had been used extensively in the prior days to photograph medium-range ballistic missile sites, SA-2 surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites and a variety of Soviet military installations and troop barracks. While the Crusaders were used for the low-level surveillance and close-up photographs, the high-flying U-2s could cover a much broader area with their high-resolution cameras.
With its 103-foot wingspan and lightweight frame, the U-2 looks something like a sailplane on steroids. It can fly so high—73,000 feet—that the pilot must don a specialized pressure suit and fishbowl-style helmet, similar to what astronauts wear. Should the single-seat cockpit lose air pressure, the suit is designed to inflate and keep the pilot alive. Otherwise in the thin air of the stratosphere the pilot’s blood would literally begin to boil.
While the U-2’s cruising altitude put it safely beyond reach of Soviet MiG fighters,
