Arthur C. Lundahl; Photo Expert Discovered Cuban Missile Sites

Arthur C. Lundahl, 77, the CIA aerial-photography expert whose discovery of missile sites in Cuba led to the Cuban missile crisis in 1963. Trained as a geologist and interested in photography, he developed his skills at aerial-photography analysis during World War II. He was the founding director of the CIA’s National Photographic Interpretation Center. His discovery of the Cuban missile sites took military and political analysts by surprise and was considered a major intelligence feat. The discovery led President John F. Kennedy to impose a blockade on Cuba to halt arms shipments. The Soviet Union finally withdrew the missiles. On Monday in Bethesda, Md., of respiratory failure.