Which of the following was a direct factor leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962?

• A. The US supported Batista dictatorship in Cuba
• B. Soviet missiles were installed on Cuba
• C. The 1959 Cuban Revolution brought Castro to power
• D. The US invaded Cuba in 1961

Answer: (B)

The direct trigger of the October 1962 crisis was the deployment of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Once U.S. reconnaissance confirmed missile sites there, the Soviet Union could threaten much of the United States with rapid ballistic strikes, dramatically altering the strategic balance and forcing a high-stakes response from Washington. That concrete action—placing missiles within range of the U.S.—is what turned long-standing Cold War tension into a live, immediate crisis, culminating in the naval quarantine and intense diplomatic brinkmanship.

The other events describe earlier strains in the relationship, not the immediate trigger. U.S. support for Batista and the Cuban Revolution bringing Castro to power helped shape distrust, and the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion intensified hostility, but neither by itself caused the October confrontation.