Chapter 36: Latin America "Khrushchev to Kennedy" Introduction      You have learned how, during the Cuban missile crisis, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev eventually backed down over the installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy ordered American B-52 bombers with nuclear warheads into the skies and put American forces on full alert as Soviet ships steamed toward Cuba. This excerpt from a letter the Soviet leader sent the American president captures the tension of the time. Destination Title: Khrushchev to John F. Kennedy Web site Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window. Need help using your browser for this activity? Click here for tips. Directions Start at the Khrushchev to John F. Kennedy Web site. Scroll down the Web page, reading and analyzing Khrushchev's letter to Kennedy. Answer the following questions. 1. What does Khrushchev mean when he says, "you have thrown down the gauntlet"? Use context to figure out the meaning of the expression, and then use reference sources to check your understanding. 2. What does Khrushchev accuse Kennedy of actually doing by declaring a quarantine? 3. To what motives does the Soviet leader attribute Kennedy's actions? 4. Khrushchev more than once tries to get Kennedy to imagine himself in the Soviet leader's place so that he might better understand the other man's actions. Do you think this is an effective tactic? Explain.