THE DAY THE CUBANMISSILE CRISIS

BEGANBEGAN

Colonel Richard Heyser was assigned to fly into Cuba to

take photos of rumored Soviet missile construction sites.

He then took a sleeping pill, in order to get eight hours’ solid rest before his mission.

If the cabin depressurized at 70,000 feet, nitrogen bubbles would form in his blood,

causing him to experience the bends. The CIA equipped many of its pilots with suicide pills,

which they were encouraged to take in order to avoid capture and torture by the enemy.

YOUR MIND NEVER RELAXESYOUR MIND NEVER RELAXES

YOUR MIND NEVER RELAXESYOUR MIND NEVER RELAXES

The flimsy plane soared into the sky at a steep angle like some exotic black bird.

IF IT DOES,IF IT DOES,

The flimsy plane soared into the sky at a steep angle like some exotic black bird.

YOU’RE DEAD.YOU’RE DEAD.

YOU’RE DEAD.YOU’RE DEAD.

In the span of 12 minutes, Heyser snapped more than 3,000 frames. He safely returned to

the U.S. and his photo evidence sparked the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crsis.

Text appropriated from Michael Dobb’s

‘Into thin Air’ from the Washington Post

Designed by Erin Woo

Visual Information Fall 201210.13.1962