Aerial view of one of the Cuban medium-range missile bases, taken October 1962. On 22 October, Kennedy said Russia had missile sites in Cuba and imposed an arms blockade. During a week, the two super-powers were head-to-head in their game of nuclear poker while the rest of the world watched, fascinated, but hardly daring to breathe in case one of the players made a fatal mistake. On 28 October, M. Khrushchev promised that the Russian missiles based in Cuba would be dismantled. In return, Kennedy promised that the US would not invade Cuba and would lift their blockade.