Why might Kennedy have felt he won this confrontation with Khrushchev?

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy demanded that the Soviet Union remove its nuclear missiles from Cuba. Khrushchev agreed to withdraw them, so Kennedy could view the confrontation as a victory. Cuba did not break its ties with the Soviet Union, and the U.S. blockade was not simply removed in exchange for accepting Khrushchev’s demand.

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