Trump forgets tense time in US-Russia history

In a news conference and a pair of interviews, President Trump gave skewed accounts of US relations over time with Russia, and of health care under his watch. He also flatly contradicted himself on how long he’s known his right-hand strategist, Steve Bannon. A look at some of his statements:

TRUMP: ‘‘We may be at an all-time low in terms of relationship with Russia.’’ — Press conference Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

THE FACTS: Arguably true in the post-Soviet era. Not so during the decades of the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear annihilation hung over Russians, Americans, their allies and the world.

The US and the Soviet Union were on the verge of a nuclear conflict in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After the failed US Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev arranged with Cuban Premier Fidel Castro to place nuclear missiles in Cuba.

When US intelligence saw evidence of a Soviet arms buildup there, President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine of the island to prevent offensive weapons deliveries and went on national television with a stern warning. As a standoff persisted, US forces were placed on high alert. After back-channel and direct secret negotiations, Khrushchev said the missiles would be removed.