Khrushchev responds with an offer. The Soviet Union will remove the missiles in exchange for the lifting of the blockade and a pledge not to invade Cuba again (without substantial provocation). A second letter, the next day, demands the removal of US missiles from Turkey in addition to the terms already mentioned. However, around the same time, an American U-2 plane is shot down over Cuba by Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missiles, killing the pilot (the first casualty of the conflict).
| Accept the terms | Agree to lift the blockade, pledge not to invade Cuba, and remove the missiles from Turkey in exchange for the removal of all Soviet missiles from Cuba. |
| Ignore the second letter | Instead respond favorably to the first. Agree to lift the blockade and pledge not to invade Cuba in exchange for the removal of all Soviet missiles from Cuba. Simply disregard the second letter with its additional terms, and do not mention the missiles in Turkey. |
| Disregard the letters | The Soviet Union has shot down an American plane and killed an American pilot. That constitutes an act of war and the United States must respond accordingly. Draw up plans for an invasion of Cuba to destroy all missile sites and expel the Soviets. The United States must appear strong in the face of this conflict. |