Cuban Missile Crisis Research Paper

The Cuban Missile Crisis all started in October, 1962, when an American spy plane spotted and secretly photographed missile sites being built on the island of Cuba by the Soviet Union. President Kennedy did not tell the Soviet Union right away that we had found their nuclear missile site. But days later, President Kennedy meet secretly with his advisors to discuss the situation. President Kennedy and his advisors though long and hard about what to do and the finally came up with an idea. Kennedy decided to put a naval blockade around the island of Cuba. The purpose of this was so Cuba could not get anymore military supplies for the Soviet Union. President Kennedy demanded that the missiles that were already there be disabled and that the sit be destroyed. Later on, Kennedy told America what was happening on a televised address. Everyone was anxious about what the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, would say about the naval blockade. But both President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev recognized that the devastation that a nuclear war will bring is too much.

The Cuban Missile Crisis forever marked 1962 as the year the world almost witnessed a nuclear war. The Soviet Union, Cuba, and the United States were all teetering on the edge of a cliff that was crumbling from the weight of fear, tension, and secrecy. It also marked the official end of Americans innocent belief that they were safe in the glow of Lady Liberty’s torch. Yet amidst the dark shadow of nuclear threat one American president rose to this challenge and proved that peace through strength is the best strategy.

The Cuban Missile Crisis began October 16, 1962. It was at the height of the Cold War that this potentially lethal confrontation arose between the United States and the Soviet Union. A United States reconnaissance plane discovered a military stockpile of Soviet nuclear missiles and bombers in Cuba. Some historians point out that Khrushchev's real intention in deploying the missiles into Cuba was to control West Berlin. They would be used in this context as a sufficient reason for the Western powers (The USA, UK, and France) to allow him to achieve his plan. However, The government of Washington, along with President John F. Kennedy at its head, believed this to be a threat and was not willing to tolerate such a threat so close to home.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a dangerous and direct confrontation in the year 1962 between the Soviet Union and the United States over the existence of missile sites in Cuba. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet premier positioned Soviet military missile in Cuba that had come under the Soviet power since the victory of the Cuban Revolution (Lockwood, Lockwood and Lockwood 15). This crisis occurred during the cold war and was the instant when the two superior powers came nearer to the nuclear conflict. The crisis was distinct in a number of ways featuring miscalculations and calculations as well as secret and direct miscommunications and communications among the two sides. The dramatic catastrophe was also featured by the fact that it was mainly played out at the Kremlin level and the white house with relatively diminutive input from the respective bureaucracies normally included in the foreign policy process (Blight., et al 64). This essay will discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis and the impact of the United States and Russia.

The event of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. Fifteen years into the cold war, the two superpowers continued the fierce competition to increase their military strength. In 1962, the Soviet Union was desperately behind the United States in the nuclear arms race. Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe, whereas the US missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba which would double the Soviet strategic arsenal and provide a real deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union. The fate of millions

On April 15, Kennedy launched a mission known as the Bay of Pigs Fiasco. The CIA had informed Kennedy of a plan they had to train Cuban exiles to invade Cuba. The goal was to overthrow Fidel Castro and establish a non-communist government. The invasion occurred on April 15, 1961, when the cuban exiles set off to bomb their homeland. The fourteen hundred exiles were eventually captured  or killed. Kennedy paid over $53 million to get the captured exiles back. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a disaster, and it embarrassed Kennedy greatly. This wasn’t the last crisis of Kennedy’s. What became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis took place in October of 1962. An American spy plane secretly spotted nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union in Cuba. Kennedy did not want the Soviet Union or Cuba to know that he found out about the missiles. After much thought, Kennedy decided to place a ring of ships around Cuba. He called it a quarantine because he wanted to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies. Kennedy made demands for Nikita Khrushchev to remove his missiles from Cuba. They both decided that a nuclear war would cause great devastation. A public deal was made between the two countries that the Soviets would dismantle the weapons site in exchange for a pledge from the United States not to invade Cuba. A secret deal was made between the Nikita and Khrushchev; the United States also agreed to remove nuclear missiles from Turkey. The Signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty took place on August 5, 1963. This treaty limited the production of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, and it gained back President Kennedy’s reputation with the American

The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 was the thirteen-day political standoff between the Soviet Union and the United states. To my knowledge, the crisis took place over whether nuclear weapons placed inside of Cuba were a threat to the United States. Under tremendous pressure, we see the crisis play out in the hands of John F. Kennedy. Handled very strategically and meticulously, President Kennedy very well saved the world from a human catastrophe. What president Kennedy was able to do at such a critical moment in time, gives the reader a great view into how the policymakers of yesterday, today, and the future should handle critical events.

"The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict." (The Cuban Missile Crisis) Also according to this website it states: "At 8:45 AM on October 16, 1962, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy alerted President Kennedy that a major international crisis was at hand. Two days earlier a United States military surveillance aircraft had taken hundreds of aerial photographs of Cuba." (The World on the Brink) "After many long and difficult meetings, Kennedy decided to place a naval blockade, or a ring of ships, around Cuba. The aim of this "quarantine," as he called it, was to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies." (Cuban Missile

On October of 1962 there was a big misunderstanding between the dictator of the Union Soviet and the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. People all around the world was terrified as it could’ve turn into a nuclear war, this event was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. It all began after the outcome during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 which resulted in a total failure of the United States trying to take over the Cuban dictator (history.state.gov). At this point the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, was concerned about another attack from the United States and decided to make a pact with the Union Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev. They held a secret meeting where Fidel Castro offered Nikita Khrushchev locations inside his territory, allowing the Russian leader to build launching facilities and place nuclear missiles inside Cuban soil. Nikita Khrushchev accepted this proposition, he believed that President Kennedy wasn’t capable of making the right decision judging him by the outcomes of the already mention event, the Bay of Pigs, as well as the Mongoose Covert

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a crucial moment in American history. As tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union rose, so did the risk of nuclear war. The Soviets, under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, were in a position to strike the United States with nuclear missiles based in Cuba. This uncertain time caused much concern for the citizens of the United States and its President, John F. Kennedy (Brubaker, 2001).

During 1939-1945, the United States and Soviet Union were involved in the Cold War. When Cuba accepted communism, the United States tried to drive out Cuba’s leader, Castro, during the Bay of Pigs, but it failed (Kauffman). The U.S. were concerned even more when they discovered Soviet Missiles in Cuba. Kennedy had established a quarantine to try and stop weapons coming to Cuba, but it was still a mystery when it came to what Kennedy’s response would be. Many Americans were in favor of using military action to remove the missiles, while critics of military action wanted to negotiate with the Soviets instead. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy chose the best course of action to end the crisis because he was able to prevent war, get the Soviet’s to remove their missiles from Cuba, and avoid alienating the United State’s allies.

“The Cuban Missile Crisis was a thirteen day political and military standoff between the United States and Soviet Union officials. The confrontation was over the Soviet army putting nuclear weapons on Cuban soil, only ninety miles from the United States coast. On October 15, 1962 a United States U-2 Spy Plane discovered the missiles and this started the crisis itself. On October 22, 1962 President John F. Kennedy addressed the United States and told the country about the missiles and also stated that the U.S. was prepared to use military force if necessary. The world was on the verge of nuclear warfare, but the U.S. and Soviets came to an agreement when the Soviets said they would take the missiles off of Cuba if the United States agreed

Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Union leader, is often considered the initiator of the Missile Crisis. He developed the idea of taking medium-range nuclear weapons to Cuba as a means of counteracting the United States’ lead in deploying as well as developing strategic weapons. Khrushchev presented the idea to the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, as a scheme to protect Cuba from U.S. supported invasion like the failed attempt in 1961 at the Bay of Pigs (Garthoff, 2011). He was not sure if Castro would accept the missiles. Nonetheless, Khrushchev received Castro’s approval and the Soviet Union embarked on building Cuban missile installations secretly. However, President John Kennedy had seen the reconnaissance photographs of the missile construction in Cuba. It prompted President Kennedy to announce that any attack from Cuba using the nuclear weapons would be considered an attack by Russia and would be reacted to accordingly (George, 2013). He further forced quarantine on Cuba by the U.S. naval forces to prevent the Soviet shipments from gaining entry.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States took a bold stand against the Soviet Union, Communism, and the installation of nuclear arms in Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred between October 14 and October 28, 1962 (“Cuban Missile Crisis Timeline”). During the Cold War Era, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were already high because of the way that World War II ended. The Soviet Union’s decision to put nuclear arms in Cuba escalated tensions between the countries and brought the United States and the Soviet Union as close to war as they have ever come (Byrne 69). The world leaders during this time were President John F. Kennedy of the United States, Russian Premier – Nikita Khrushchev and Communist Leader, Fidel Castro of Cuba (Donaldson Thirteen Days). The Cuban Missile Crisis represents a period of history where the United States took a strong stand against the Soviet Union, Communist ideology and Cuba.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a frightening moment for the entire world. It started October 14th, 1962 after the Soviet Union planted nuclear missiles inn Cuba. The U.S. found out that these missiles were being planted without their knowledge, but the Soviet Union continued the construction of these nuclear missile sites, even after President Kennedy, the president of the U.S., sent out a warning against these weapons in Cuba. Even after this warning, Kennedy once again found out that the construction was still happening. Following the discovery of the ongoing construction, Kennedy wanted to meet with people at the White House to solve the problem that they were encountering. There were multiple sides during their talk about the missiles. Some of the people at the meeting wanted to take a more aggressive approach and destroy these missiles and then follow up with an attack. Kennedy eventually decided to quarantine Cuba. After Kennedy quarantined Cuba, there were many messages sent between the White House and the Kremlin to try and solve the problem. The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted for thirteen extremely tense days. At the end of these thirteen days, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended with an agreement between the United States and Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis greatly impacted history. It strengthened the bond between the United States and Soviet Union, showed people how to come to a