Adlai Stevenson presents missile evidence to the UN

During an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on October 25, 1962, United States Ambassador Adlai Stevenson confronted Soviet representative Valerian Zorin regarding the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

When Zorin declined to provide a direct answer, Stevenson presented aerial photographs taken by U-2 spy planes. These images provided visual evidence of Soviet medium- and intermediate-range missile sites on the island, contradicting previous Soviet denials. This confrontation occurred during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a period when the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear conflict. The public exposure of the evidence served as a significant turning point in the diplomatic struggle, highlighting the immediate threat posed by the missile installations to the United States.