How Did Khrushchev Improve The Arms Race

The Cuban Missile Crisis was perhaps the closest that humankind had ever become to experiencing a thermonuclear war. In October 1962, the world watched perilously, as U.S. president John F. Kennedy warned his people of the amalgamation of Soviet arms in Cuba. John F. Kennedy refused to accept “offensive” Soviet artillery in such close proximity to the U.S., but Soviet chairman Nikita Khrushchev had already planned a stealthily

There was a suspicious report that there was a nuclear threat from Soviet that might've been based on Cuba with missiles aiming to bomb America. On 29 August President John F. Kennedy ordered periodic flights over to Cuba by high-speed, high-altitude U-2 spy planes. A quote that relates and explains more about this is "Although U-2 flights through 7 October showed Soviet antiaircraft missile (SAM) sites under construction and the introduction of Soviet-built patrol boats, they turned up no hard evidence of offensive missile sites or introduction of such missiles" (The Cold War Continued: The Cuban Missile Crisis). The evidence shows that the prior statement confirms Kennedy's swift action to protect the safety of the American people. This led Kennedy to send forces to examine if Cuba actually had missiles; which they didn't. He always made sure that this country was protected. His priorities was straight and he knew exactly what had to be

With the U.S now embarrassed by a failed invasion in Cuba, Fidel and Nikita Khrushchev allied forces. As a means to establish a level playing field during the Cold War, Khrushchev agreed to send arms and military support to Cuba. The arms would include nuclear warheads capable of inflicting immense damage to much of the United States. This plight would reestablish Russian dominance within the Cold War and deter further violence from U.S to Cuba. Under near complete secrecy, Khrushchev was able to move many SS-4 ballistic missiles and establish nuclear warhead sites across Cuba. Using high-resolution reconnaissance aircraft, American spy planes documented several areas of significance. These areas would be studied intensely over the next few

At the time Russian Kremlin Nikita Khrushchev had pursued better foreign relations with the US, as did US president Dwight Eisenhower, who had been in talks with Khrushchev. In what had been a historical event in 1959, Khrushchev was formally invited by Eisenhower to attend a summit in the US to speak on a number of issues. Khrushchev would make history attending the summit “being the first Russian leader to ever step foot on American soil” (89 Keylor). This event believed by many at the time had indicated a turning-point of the Cold War as many saw it as steps taken by the two nations to secure peace. This peaceful co-existence between the US and Russia, however, would deteriorate by 1960 when the Soviets had shot down a secret US U-2 aircraft spying over the U.S.S.R (90 Keylor).

The Air Force had an immediate impact on the US military as they developed a spy plane that could go undetected by radar as well as other guard planes. This eventually led to the Cuban missile crisis as one of these spy planes found Russian missiles and other military resources on the shore of Cuba. America took immediate action and forced Russia to destroy the missiles in exchange for a no-invasion agreement therefore preventing Russia from gaining access to territory with a geographical advantage. Another result was the creation of the first radar center in Greenland, where America had access to the entire Arctic region. Any aerial strike from the Soviet Union would have to pass over that area to reach the U.S.

The second reason is the shooting down of a Korean airplane carrying 269 civillian passengers and crew above the baring sea on September 1st 1983. It was mistakeably identified by the Soviets as a spy plane. All passengers and crew died. Reagan denounced the 'evil Empire' again, which inflamed Moscow once again.(DailyMail ,2007) The reaction to Reagan’s policy and actions was frightening. The Soviet leaders were preparing their army to a nuclear preemptive strike in case of incoming intelligence indicates imminent attack by the United States.(History News Network

In the fall of 1962, a US military U-2 spy plane conducted photo reconnaissance over the interior of Cuba, detecting multiple missile bases. Interpreting this as a severe threat to American security, a naval blockade was formed. Tensions promptly escalated between Kennedy and the Russian Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, with neither side conceding to a compromise. The Soviets armed their missiles for the impending attack. On the morning of November 26th, the United States raised its alert level to DEFCON-1.

On November 4, Khrushchev sent president Kennedy a formal letter regarding the IL-28 bombers. In this letter Khrushchev released his frustration to the president about the complications he was causing with such a list. “It is hard for us to understand,” wrote Khrushchev, “what aim is being pursued by the introduction of that list. The demand which has been set forth is evidently pursuing… some other aims and that—I would wish Mr. President, that you understand me correctly—can lead not to betterment of our relations but, on the contrary, to their new aggravation.” With this letter Khrushchev tried to intimidate Kennedy using unpleasant words and indirect threats that the two nations would not be working together if this nonsense continued to reside. Khrushchev had no where to turn, if he removed the IL-28 bombers Castro would be furious especially because he considered the IL-28s as his property and might break relations with the Soviet Union, jeopardizing their plans with the Caribbean. On the other hand, if Khrushchev didn’t remove the IL-28s he would risk pandemonium with the United

The past few years before the commencement of the Cold War already gave rise to hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union. As World War II came to an end, it was evident through the Potsdam Conference that President Harry Truman and Soviet Joseph Stalin were opposing each other. Unlike former President Roosevelt for whom Stalin had respect, Truman did not trust Stalin because the Soviet dictator made it evident that the USSR would have complete control of the Eastern European countries. Because the Soviet Union was spreading communism to these areas, the United States

The finding of theses missiles led to a serious dispute between the USA and the USSR and was perhaps the closest the U.S. came to a nuclear war, during the Cold War. The installation of the missiles found so close to U.S. shores was seen as a threat to the U.S because from that point the Soviet was easily able to reach targets targets in the eastern U.S. If allowed to become operational, the missiles would fundamentally alter the complexion of the nuclear rivalry between the U.S. and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which up to that point had been dominated by the Americans. On the other hand, Castro and Khrushchev saw the missiles as a means of as a way to level the playing field.

This investigation assesses the change of Russian- American relations from the end of WWII in 1945 to the Berlin Airlift in 1948. In order to evaluate the Soviet’s actions, important events are assessed in reference to the political changes leading up to the Berlin Airlift. This is important because it shows the events to setting the tone for the beginning of the Cold War. Articles are mostly used to evaluate these events and the significance of them. Two other sources in this essay are Truman authored by David McCullough and The 1940’s: Decade of Triumph and Trouble compiled by Cabell Phillips. These sources were chosen because they are comprehensive in discussing the Yalta Conference all the way to the Berlin Airlift. These two sources are evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations.

This launch scared Americans, because this launch was during the cold war, and it seemed the soviets were going to win.

On October fourth, 1957, Russia launches the satellite Sputnik. Suspicions were high in the United States during the cold war and, the launching of Sputnik, raised them even higher. There was always the lingering threat of a nuclear attack, that had everyone on edge. Preparing shelters and running drills became the norm of a once confidant, nation. Espionage was also on the rise between the two nations. It shouldn’t be a surprise that The United States, saw the launching of Sputnik as a nefarious event, to say

The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev risked the missile bases for the goal of being in range for a nuclear strike. Khrushchev was apprehensive about the number of nuclear weapons that were targeted at The Soviet Union from countries in Europe and Turkey, so he needed to find away to even out the playing field (Cuban Missile Crisis. History.com). The finding of the missile bases imposed a sense of urgency on the situation. The base unit in Cuba was only ninety miles away from the southern coast of Florida. This information was alarming because the communist were finally capable of reaching the eastern United States. From that moment, President Kennedy knew something that had to be done about the medium-ranged missile sites in Cuba. Both superpowers were aware of the others aggressiveness and assertiveness. This means that once one missile goes off, there will be massive havoc; both sides will strike until they are defeated. If a nuclear missile went off, there could have easily been an end to a civilization. President Kennedy immediately formed a group of advisors and officials. Eventually this group was called the executive committee, or the Excom. From the beginning, the executive committee and Kennedy agreed the missiles in Cuba had to go. The Excom had many different choices of ways they could approach the situation. From bombing the missile bases or a full invasion of Cuba, but their ultimatum was to remove the missile bases from Cuba without stirring up

The geopolitical context of the war dictated a measured response to perceived communist aggressions. Just three years prior, the world had been almost driven to nuclear holocaust because of the Cuban Missile crisis, and America’s strategic forces remained on high alert. For example, during Operation Chrome Dome, B-52 strategic bombers carrying nuclear weapons remained airborne continuously — flying routes over the arctic from 1961 through the entirety of Rolling Thunder. Because of the simmering Cold War, Johnson and McNamara favored restraint over a more aggressive approach prosecuting the war in Vietnam and specifically to combat the SAM threat.