The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Events Before, During, and After
Let the record show that our restraint is not inexhaustible. Should it ever appear that the inter-American doctrine of noninterference merely conceals or excuses a policy of nonaction - if the nations of this hemisphere should fail to meet their commitments against outside Communist penetration - then I want it clearly understood that this
Government will not hesitate in meeting its primary obligations, which are to the security of our Nation. Should the time ever come, we do not intend to be lectured on " intervention " by those whose character was stamped for all time on the bloody streets of Budapest. ( Address by President Kennedy, 20 April 1961, " The
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In 1920, a new leader, Joseph Stalin, became head of the Communist Party. Stalin did not want to make a truce with the United States, but he did decide to join World War II. The Soviet Union suffered considerable damage, but fought successfully with the other allies and eventually defeated Hitler. In post - World War II, this alliance began to wither as mistrust and tension grew between Stalin and President Truman, thus giving birth to the Cold War. Opposition, broken promises, and a continuing struggle over who would unite Europe led the United States and the U.S.S.R even farther apart. Most believed that peace was not an option and war was inevitable for the two nations. Although both countries were not keen on going to war, tension and stress of the Cold War was at its height ( Encarta ).
In a sense, it can be said that the stage was set for a deciding conflict. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had been preparing for war by increasing their military power, which included nuclear capabilities. No one could be certain when or who was planning to attack first. The answer was soon to come.
In September of 1962, various American intelligence agencies became flooded with reports which stated that the Russians were supplying and assembling surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles inside Cuba. When questioned, the Soviet Premier, Nikita Krushchev, denied that any missiles were being supplied to Cuba (
Thirteen days. For some, it seemed like a lifetime. Thirteen days. For others, it was the scariest moments of their lives. Just thirteen short days to prevent a nuclear war. After Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government, he turned Cuba into a communist regime. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics decided to provide Cuba with Soviet aid. Soon after, The United States found evidence of nuclear missiles. The Cuban Missile Crisis was an important time in both Cuban and American history. Castro’s Cuba was just the beginning, things then started to intensify with Soviet aid, and culminated with the United States responding to end it all.
In 1962, Cuba was convinced that the USA was planning to attack them and asked the Soviet Union for military assistance. The USSR sent Cuba materials to build missile bases and launch sites. When President Kennedy realized that Cuba could launch missiles into America, he demanded that the USSR remove its weapons and troops. The Americans formed a naval blockade as the world stood nervously on the edge of a nuclear war. The USSR removed its weapons despite protests from Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy “informed the world” that the Soviets were building secretive missile bases in Cuba, very close to Florida. President Kennedy decided to take the peaceful route in handling is major crisis. As
The relationship between Castro and Khrushchev was cemented between 1959-1962 as the Soviets gained Castro’s trust by buying Cuban sugar crops two years in advance, as well as accepting trade and economic assistance (Nathan 38). The Soviet surface to air missiles (SAMs) began being shipped to Cuba in the spring of 1962, in response to the U.S. Jupiter missiles placed in Turkey (Nathan 75). Eventually, the two nations would sign the Russia-Cuba Pact in August, 1962, and the shipment of Soviet medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) began (Nathan xxiv). “Fidel Castro accepted the Russian arguments that Cuba needed to accept missiles for its self-defense. Castro did not accept the logic but, as a member of the Soviet Bloc, felt Cuba had a duty to sustain socialism….(Nathan 76).”
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the only devastating event in U.S. to ever bring the country into DEFCON-2. Ever since World War 2, the U.S. and the Soviet Union have been rivals(Jeffery, Riley, 4). The Soviets later aligned themselves with the small country of Cuba. It is a small piece of land in enemy territory, but it is very important to them because they have to protect their allies at all times. For this reason, The USSR placed missiles in Cuba to keep them prepared for an invasion. In 1962, The two huge superpowers brought the Cold War to a nuclear crisis in Cuba which led to DEFCON-2, the closest point to a nuclear war(The Choices Program)
Although, the Cold War was avoidable due to the fact that better negotiating efforts could have been made and we exasperated the tension with the Soviet Union as a result of our threats, it was inevitable though that the United States and the Soviet Union went to war in the Cold War. The Cold War was inevitable due to immense differences between the Soviet Union and the United Sates, the Soviet Union’s mistrust in the United States, and the Soviet Union’s unreasonable stance. Even though, the countries did not physically fight The Cold War was a foreseeable feud between the Soviet Union and The United States in response to the tension and conflicts that mounted after the end of World War II.
The Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban missile crisis was the most dangerous of the Cold War, but
The United States was already weary of the Soviets and mistrusted the intentions of the USSR. A well-honed policy of maskirovka (the Russian word for what the CIA calls denial and deception tactics, or D&D) ensures that the Soviet intentions and strategies are well cloaked. This was true during the Cuban Missile Crisis. By the time Kennedy got the intelligence reports showing the reconnaissance photographs from the Soviet installations in Cuba, the President publically "proclaimed that any nuclear missile attack from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union and would be responded to accordingly," ("Revelations from the Russian Archives," 2010). The threat was taken seriously.
During the Cuba missile crisis near every newspaper and radio station would talk about how the end of the world on the brink of destruction. Because of this many people around this time lived in fear and felt the world was going to end. The effects of the Cuba missile crisis didn’t just affect the two nations its effects also had major effects on the people of these nations, the world, and the countries themselves. These effects only truly made the world change when it was too late. The effects that the Cuba missile crisis left on the people of these nations consisted of fear, panic, and enough paranoia to scary the entire world. It also affected the world as other counties would do anything
On one of the following days, Kennedy asked if the Air Force could take out all of the missiles in Cuba. The Air Force then told the President that with that process there would be 10-20,000 civilian casualties. Kennedy then decided to set up a blockade around Cuba. US ships prepared for a quarantine. The press then learned about the nuclear missles and questioned them about it, the President asked the reporters not to reveal the news so he could announce it to the American people on TV. The Soviets had instrustion to launch the missiles within minutes of Kennedy’s speech. After Castro listened to the President’s speech he moblized all of Cuba’s military forces.
When speaking about the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy said, "It is insane that two men, sitting on opposite sides of the world, should be able to decide to bring an end to civilization” (“Nuclear Test Ban Treaty” 1). the Cuban Missile Crisis was a time where these two men, Kennedy and Khrushchev, had the power in their hands to end civilization. In order to understand the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis one must understand, the Cold war drama; the dangerous crisis; and its importance today.
In 1962 nuclear war seemed inevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. This incident launched the world into a new time, which presented nuclear weapons as a source of power.
The Cuban Missile Crisis had a huge impact on society even years after it was resolved because the incident had brought our nation and the world so close to the brink of nuclear war. Before the Cuban Missile Crisis had occurred, many other factors had been piling up and building undesirable tensions between many countries. Along the way new allies and enemies were made causing more stress to the Cold War. The new bonds that formed after Cuba was taken over by Fidel Castro pushed nuclear war to the very edge.
The Cuban Missile Crisis Between 1959 and 1962 relations between USA and Cuba deteriorated. Up until 1959, America had kept General Batista in power over Cuba and had strong links, especially in trade. Castro’s ascent to power in 1959 triggered the short-term events contributing to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The main cause of the Cuban Missile Crisis was the cold relationship between the two great superpowers: America and Russia.
In the end, the United States wanted all the Soviet Union missile sights deactivated and taken back to Soviet Union. After the U. S. failed with the invasion using CIA trained brigade worth of Cuban local nationals. The Soviet Union took advantage to strategically place and construct missile sights all throughout Cuba in the event that the U. S. and Russia got in to a military conflict. The Soviet Union tried to deceive the government of the United States and hide what they were doing. By using cargo ships to move the missiles from Russia to Cuba.