I don’t even think less of Kennedy for making the deal; I’m no fan of his, but that is what politicians do. They avoided (for a few years) a wider conflict until the proxy war in Vietnam.
Yes, and we were so very close to a Nuclear War....few today realize just how close.
I learned that when the American Pilot was shot down by Russia then, and died, it was from a trigger happy Russian who did not have authority to fire. That is something all were concerned about then...tensions were so very high.