Why was the state of emergency declared in 1962?

The state of emergency was declared in 1962 due to the Cuban Missile Crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a significant event during the Cold War, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency in 1962. This crisis was a 13-day political and military standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the US coastline. The crisis began on October 16, 1962, when reconnaissance photographs taken by an American U-2 spy plane revealed missile bases being built in Cuba by the Soviets.

The discovery led to an immediate and intense reaction from the US. President John F. Kennedy, in a televised address on October 22, 1962, announced the discovery of the installations and proclaimed that any nuclear missile attack from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union and would be responded to accordingly. He also imposed a naval blockade on Cuba to prevent further missile shipments from reaching the island.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed forces were at their highest state of readiness, and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded. Luckily, war was averted when the U.S. agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba.

The state of emergency was declared to prepare the nation for a potential nuclear war. It was a period of great tension and uncertainty, with the world watching anxiously as the two superpowers squared off. The crisis marked a turning point in the Cold War, as both sides realised the potential for mutual destruction and began to seek ways to ease tensions.