Which statement about the Cuban Missile Crisis is false?

• A. U.S. warships sank every Soviet-flagged vessel that approached Cuba.
• B. The blockade involved only air power.
• C. The crisis ended without any naval presence.
• D. The Soviet Union withdrew missiles without diplomatic negotiations.

Answer: (A)

The claim is false because the crisis did not involve U.S. warships sinking Soviet vessels. In October 1962 the United States imposed a naval quarantine around Cuba and used intercepts and negotiations to prevent missiles from reaching the island, but there were no armed battles in which ships were sunk. A tense naval standstill occurred, with ships stopping and signaling, not with naval engagements that destroyed vessels.

Context helps: the blockade was a naval operation enforced by U.S. Navy ships (air power supported the effort with reconnaissance and communications), and the crisis ended through diplomacy. The Soviet Union agreed to remove its missiles from Cuba, and the United States pledged not to invade Cuba, with a later, secret agreement to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey.