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Why was there a Cuban Missile Crisis?

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Background to Cuba

Cuba is a large island in the Caribbean, about 90 miles from Miami, Florida

in 1959 a revolution took place in Cuba and Fidel Castro took power, introducing a Communist government

the USA had troops based on Cuba and owned most of its wealth

Castro introduced a land reform programme and nationalized US-owned mines – the USA grew concerned

Castro asked the USA for loans to help improve their economy; they refused. So, in 1960, the USSR signed an agreement with Cuba to trade sugar for oil and machinery

When Kennedy came to power in 1961, the USA had broken off relations with Cuba, and the CIA was training anti-Castro exiles in order to invade.Why was the USA concerned about events on Cuba?

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The Bay of Pigs fiasco

On 17 April 1961 1,500 Cuban exiles who had been trained by the CIA landed at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba. They were carrying US weapons and were delivered by US ships. The aim was for them to set up a base for guerrilla warfare against Castro. They expected the other Cubans to rise up and join them.

The US government had made a big mistake however, as they had underestimated the strength of the Cuban army and Castro’s popularity. The Cuban people did not support the invasion because Castro’s programmes of literacy training, free medical care, housing construction and land reform promised to improve the lives of the poor majority.

Within 72 hours, 400 of the attackers were dead and the survivors had surrendered. The US government was made to look like incompetent fools.

How do you think Castro felt? What should be his next move?

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Why were nuclear weapons introduced to Cuba?

After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Castro expected a second invasion by the USA, and so wanted to step up his defence.

Khrushchev was also annoyed with the USA. He felt that he’d failed in Berlin, and had found out that the Soviet nuclear capability was inferior to the USA. Also, the USSR had been ring-fenced by US missiles, with new Jupiter missiles located in Turkey early in 1962.

US missiles were capable of striking the whole of the USSR, but Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe.

Khrushchev decided that the best way to put pressure on the USA and to help Cuba would be to station intermediate- and medium-range missiles on Cuba.

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Who had the most nuclear bases?

What do you notice about where the Russian sites are compared to the US sites? Does this help explain why USSR were happy to put weapons on Cuba?

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Why didn’t the USA react to the threat?

In late August 1962, a US U-2 plane detected missile sites being constructed on Cuba. However, at first they assumed these were just defensive sites, mainly because the USSR had never before tried to station nuclear weapons outside its border, and political exchanges suggested that the Soviets had no need to do this.

After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, why was Kennedy cautious about getting involved in Cuba?

Was it sensible to wait and see what was going on, rather than rushing in at the start?

Or would it have been better to have discussed his worries with Khrushchev before things got out of control?

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Should missiles on Cuba worry the USA?

Why would the USA be worried about missiles on Cuba?

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When and why did the crisis erupt?

On 15 October, new U-2 evidence showed that the missile sites on Cuba were being built to hold Soviet nuclear missiles. The USA were alarmed as these were only 90 miles from Miami.

All the US defence warning systems had been developed to inform them of an attack coming from across the Arctic Circle. Missiles stationed on Cuba could be launched and they would bypass US radar. The USA would have no warning.

When Kennedy received the information he exclaimed “How could he do this to me?”

What does this tell you about how Kennedy viewed his relationship with Khrushchev?

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What should the USA do?

You are a member of ExComm (the Security Council). Read the alternatives below and decide on the best course of action to take.

do nothing

launch a full-scale invasion of Cuba

undertake a ‘surgical strike’ on the missile bases

blockade the island

order the CIA to assassinate Castro.Extra information: There are Soviet MiGs and Ilyushin bombers stationed on Cuba.To ensure destruction of all the missile bases, an operation of over 500 separate sorties would need to be initiated.Soviet ships are approaching Cuba carrying equipment for the missile sites.

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What did the USA do?

On 22 October, Kennedy announced a “strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba”. If Soviet vessels did not stop, US ships had orders to fire.

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The crisis increases

26 October – a letter arrived from Khrushchev to Kennedy proposing that the USSR would remove its missiles if the USA guaranteed it would not invade Cuba.

27 October – Radio Moscow broadcast a harsher message stating that Soviet removal of missiles would be dependent on the USA removing their missiles from Turkey.

Also, a U-2 reconnaissance plane had been shot down over Cuba, and the Soviet navy were drawing closer to the blockade line.

Why was a national radio station involved in negotiations?What would you suggest Kennedy to do next?

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Ending the confrontation

Robert Kennedy suggested that the president ignore the second message and contact Anatoly Dobrynin (Soviet ambassador) to tell him the US agreed with Khrushchev's first message. The letter also included a warning that a continuation of the threat would be a “grave risk to the peace of the world” – the airstrike option was ready to go in 48 hours.

The next day, Radio Moscow broadcast a statement from Khrushchev saying that in exchange for US assurances on Cuba he had ordered the dismantling of the arms on Cuba.

How do you think Castro felt about this?

Do you think he will rely on USSR again? Explain.

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NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)

An extract from Khrushchev’s letter, 27 October 1962: “You say that it worries you because it [Cuba] lies ninety miles across the sea … of the United Sates. However, Turkey lies next to us. You

have stationed devastating rocket weapons in Turkey…”

Andrei Gromyko, 1989, described a meeting with Kennedy on 18 October 1962: “I put the Soviet position to the President. ‘…The American side has conducted an

unrestrained anti-Cuban campaign…’“Kennedy replied, ‘…the present regime in Cuba does not

suit the USA.’“I asked him: ‘But on what basis does the American

leadership have for supposing the Cubans ought to decide their … affairs according to Washington…?’”

What impression do you get about why the crisis got to this stage? Could the USA have stopped it from starting?

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Cuba’s legacy

It is ironic that Kennedy had instructed the military to remove the missile bases in Turkey in August 1962, but this had not been done. Kennedy was shocked in October that they were now a central component in the crisis. It also now meant that he could not publicly remove them as it would look like he was giving in to Soviet blackmail.

Most importantly, it was realised that there needed to be a direct link between the USA and USSR. It is unbelievable that during a time of intercontinental ballistic missiles, messages had to be broadcast using national radio or through handwritten messages given to ambassadors acting as go-betweens. This led to the setting up of the ‘hot line’ allowing direct communication between Washington and Moscow.