Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuba

Cuban Revolution

• U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista• 1959 coup – led my Fidel Castro

– Strong nationalist views– Didn’t like the United States’ political and

corporate influence in Cuba• Castro establishes ties with the Soviet Union

and develops Marxist policies• Eisenhower views Cuba as a threat to

democracy in the Western Hemisphere– Authorizes the CIA to train and arm Cuban

exiles secretly to overthrow Castro• Kennedy continues this when he takes over

the presidency

Bay of Pigs Invasion

• 1,400 Cuban exiles were being trained by the CIA in Nicaragua

• Less than 3 months into his presidency, Kennedy ordered the invasion of Cuba– U.S. believed an invasion would start a

popular uprising against Castro• April 17, 1961 the troops land at the Bay of

Pigs– Fighting lasts for only 3 days– No popular uprising– Castro’s army surrounds the invaders

• Military and political disaster• Weakens the prestige of Kennedy and

strengthens Castro worldwide• Nikita Khrushchev comes across as the

defender of Latin America against U.S. imperialism

The Cuban Missile Crisis

• October 14, 1962 U.S. spy planes photograph missile bases being built in Cuba– Soviet Union was supplying Cuba with

missiles– Medium-range to intermediate-range

missiles capable of reaching as far north as Pittsburgh and Detroit, and as far west as Denver

• Obvious threat to the Monroe Doctrine• U.S. doesn’t want the Soviets this close• What should Kennedy do?

Group Assignment

• Read the 5 options available to you listed on the website.• As a group, write down which option you would choose if

you were Kennedy– List 2 reasons you chose the option you did (1 paragraph

each)• As a group, write down which option would be your last

resort if you were Kennedy– List 2 reasons you chose the option you did (1 paragraph

each)

The Cuban Missile Crisis

• Kennedy orders a naval blockade to stop the Soviet Union from delivering any more missiles and calls for the dismantling of all missile sites in Cuba– Kennedy speech– Calls it a “quarantine” because a blockade is

considered an act of war– This means the U.S. will only stop military

ships heading to the island, not normal supply ships

• October 23 – Strategic Air Command is ordered to go to DEFCON 2 for the only time in history

• By October 25 the missile sites were still actively being worked on, and more Soviet ships were on their way

• Stalemate – nuclear war looks imminent

Defense Conditions

• DEFCON 5 Normal peacetime readinessDEFCON 4 Normal, increased intelligence and strengthened security measures DEFCON 3 Increase in force readiness above normal readiness DEFCON 2 Further Increase in force readiness, but less than maximum readiness DEFCON 1 Maximum force readiness.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

• October 27 – CIA reports that all missiles in Cuba were up and ready for action

• October 27 – U.S. informs NATO allies to be ready for military action any second

• October 28 – last second agreement is reached between Kennedy and Khrushchev– The Soviets will remove all missiles from

Cuba and stop sending ships with more missiles

– The U.S. guarantees not to invade Cuba or support any group who does

– Secretly – the U.S. will remove missiles from sites in southern Italy and Turkey

Results of the Cuban Missile Crisis

• Because the withdrawal of U.S. missiles from Italy and Europe is not made public, it makes Kennedy look strong and Khrushchev look weak– Khrushchev would remain in power for only 2

more years• Soviet-Cuban relations break down because

Castro is upset he was not involved in Soviet plans

• A year later the “red telephone” is hooked up, creating a direct line between the White House and the Kremlin

• Encourages U.S. use of military in fight against communism– Notably the Vietnam War