The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the USSR decided to send nuclear missiles to protect communist Cuba from another attack by the US after the Bay of Pigs invasion. The US refused to allow the missiles to be delivered by setting up a "quarantine" around Cuba. This was the closest the two superpowers came to actual nuclear war. After a US U-2 plane was shot down over Russia the president prepared to attack unless Russia removed all missiles and surrounding ships from the Cuban area, after which the US promised not to attack Cuba. Because of the confusion in this, a direct line was set up between the US and the USSR and nuclear peace talks were considered.