HIS-245 - 5-2 Rough Draft - Liddya Ward

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1 HIS-245: Rough Draft/Bibliography The Cuban Missile Crisis Liddya Ward HIS-245 Southern New Hampshire University Patrick O’Hara July 30, 2023

2 In October 1962 was the Cuban Missile Crisis that spanned the course of thirteen days. In the matter of two weeks, it was up to two men of power, from opposite sides of the globe, to come to an agreement that prevented the total destruction of civilization. If the U.S. did not initially attack Cuba, could this have been prevented? The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was a major turning point during the Cold War. The crisis began when the U.S. found out that the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba and put the world in a state of panic as they watched the U.S and Soviets teeter on the brink of nuclear war. President Kennedy imposed a naval blockade around the island as a precaution but knew the need for a peaceful solution was of high priority. The crisis was averted by tactful diplomatic negotiations but was still a very close call. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a historical event that stood as a reminder to the dangers of nuclear war and the importance of international cooperation 1 . Tension between America and Cuba, Cuba reaching out to the Soviets for support, this led to the very close near destruction of civilization that could have been a potential outcome if nuclear war was to transpire. The crisis took place in 1962, Cuba turned to the Soviets for support because there was a lack of trust in the U.S and tension the Cubans were trying to protect themselves from. Looking back, and what led up to the crisis, an event that played a major part in the distrust and tension between America and Cuba was the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961. In mid-April, 1961 roughly 1,500 heavily armed men mounted a night-time, seaborne invasion of Cuba, their landing point on the southern coast being two beaches close to the Bay of Pigs (Bahı´a de Cochinos) 2 . This invasion was an attempt by US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro and establish a non-communist government which was friendly to the U.S. 3 . The U.S and Cuba had a pretty quiet and stable relationship since the Treaty of Paris back in 1898 into 1902 1 Kinnu Blog. N.d. Escalation and Expansion: Key Moments in Cold War Development. 2 DUNNE, M. (2011). Perfect Failure: the USA, Cuba and the Bay of Pigs, 1961 3 DUNNE, M. (2011). Perfect Failure: the USA, Cuba and the Bay of Pigs, 1961

3 and the U.S had economic and political dominance over the island which did not end when they became independent in 1902. Relations stayed stable for many decades until the Cuban Revolution which asserted Castro as leader and established communist rule in Cuba. 4 Knowing communism is a strict threat to the U.S it made tensions rise, many Cubans that fled to America following the revolution were of the wealthiest citizens of Cuba and they left because they did not agree with the severing of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, political recessions and a disillusionment with a new way of life in Cuba. 5 In 1961, with the abundance of fleeing Cubans, the Americans recognized the threat Castro and the new communism foundation posed, so Eisenhower directed the CIA to begin preparations to invade and overthrow Castro. Cuba had not made any initial attack on the U.S prior to the Bay of Pigs Invasion, for the U.S it was the fear of communism, and the worry if they sat back and waited it would allow Cuba to eventually attack first. Once Castro established a communist rule in Cuba, they turned to the Soviets, another communist state, to have back up and support. When the U.S invaded Cuba, the CIA underestimated the power of Castro and the military forces he led which resulted in almost an instant fail to overthrow him and the Cuban victory at the Bay of Pigs solidified Castro’s position as a national hero and because of the attack, Cuba worked closer with the Soviets which allowed them to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. In October 1962 an American spy plane, the U-2, spotted nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba which spiked a tremendous amount of fear and panic and then begun the 13 day stand off between the U.S and the team of Cubans and Soviets. 6 4 Radchenko, Sergey, and Vladislav Zubok. 2023. “Blundering on the Brink: The Secret History and Unlearned Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis.” 5 Speed, Dennis. 2023. “Pulling Away from the Precipice of Total War.” Executive Intelligence Review 50 (22): 3–5. 6 CIA daily report, “The Crisis USSR/Cuba,” October 27, 1962.

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