Khrushchev Crisis

This was a problem for Kennedy because Cuba was within a 90 mile radius from the United States, easy sticking distance. The United States had missiles in Turkey, which were in striking distance from the Soviet Union, which Khrushchev used as a weighing option when deciding to place missiles in Cuba. Kennedy saw the missiles that were being held in Cuba as almost an act of war from the Soviet Union. Khrushchev assured President Kennedy that the missiles were not an act of war, but yet only a defense for Cuba, who was feeling Having Soviet Union missiles this close to the mainland was a problem for the United States. Kennedy decided that the only way to stop the Soviet Union from fully equipping Cuba with enough missiles to destroy the United States, was to stop the missiles from getting to Cuba. To stop them Kennedy dispatched U.S. warships into the Atlantic, which was able to prevent the Soviet missile fleet from reaching Cuba. Unfortunately there were already missiles in Cuba from earlier fleets and they were

The reasons why McNamara and Kennedy and other U.S. politicians were so fearful of a nuclear was because according to U.S. analysts at the time, the 24 MRBM’s (Medium range-ballistic missiles) and sixteen IRBM’s (intermediate-range ballistic missiles) that were found in Cuba had significantly increased the number of U.S. targets that the Soviet’s could lethally attack by forty percent.[8] Furthermore, having missiles within Cuba allowed the Soviets to bypass the U.S. warning radars, especially the Ballistics Missile Early Warning system, which was stationed in the North Pole.[9] By bypassing the U.S. warning radars, it certainly amplified the risk of a surprise strike upon certain American air bases and important command posts.[10] To address this risk, the U.S. army went from “Defence Condition Five” (peacetime alert) to “Defcon 3” (war alert) which further illustrated the high levels of precautions the U.S. government were taking in order to protect itself from an offensive attack from the Soviet.[11] It was quite clear from these precautions that the impending nuclear threat in Cuba threatened the lives of American civilians, troops, and government officials. In the event that the situation escalated out of control, the two world superpowers could have engaged in a third World War that, with nuclear technology had the potential to kill hundreds of millions of civilians and soldiers.[12] Fortunately, the Cuban Mission Crisis never escalated this

armed forces, Castro felt a second attack was inevitable. Although he was reluctant to accept the missiles at the beginning, he was finally persuaded. It could be argued that Castro pursued closer relations with the Soviet Union mainly for the protection of Cuba, and therefore was more open to Soviet suggestions such as placing nuclear weapons in Cuba to ensure its security. Che Guevara, a major figure to play a central role in training the military forces for the Bays of Pigs invasion and in bringing the Soviet nuclear weapons to Cuba, stated that "all the Cuban people must become a guerrilla army, each and every Cuban must learn to handle and if necessary use firearms in defence of the nation.1" Guevara's statement suggests that if the Cuban people had to fight, they were willing to fight, which shows the Cuban enthusiasm towards protection and, therefore, towards the Soviets. The Soviets, seeing an opportunity to make their international position feel close to the one of the US, rushed to aid Castro in order to double their military strength. Having said that, it could be argued that the Cuban-Soviet relationship was inevitable due to the poor U.S.-Cuban relationship. Placing the missiles in Cuba was a huge military step for the Soviets as it could enable them to reach and destroy most of the continental U.S. And, for that reason, the Cuban Missile Crisis was an event of a very high international importance.

With President Kennedy’s advisers, he opted on a naval blockade to stop Russian ships from conveying the missiles for the sites in Cuba. Khrushchev cautioned that Russia would view the blockade as an act of war. The Russian militaries were put on vigilant and the US bombers were placed in the air sustaining nuclear bombs (Blight., et al 24). The arrangements were made to attack Cuba. There was enormous tension in both Moscow and Washington. The US secretly proposed an exchange of missile bases that is the Russian bases in Cuba and the US bases in

In the spring of 1962, Khrushchev saw this prime opportunity to advance on the United States. He began forming a plan to move nuclear missiles to Cuba and set have them operational. The United States would not allow this to take place if they had known of the plans, but the Soviets had the means to conceal their true intentions. Soviets also were masters of denial and deception. They would use a technique called maskirovka, it was highly successful for years, and it would prove to be a great asset. Instead of just trying to mislead their enemies, the Soviets mislead everyone but a few need to know personnel. Their civilians and even members of their military forces were not aware of their governments plan to move the missiles to Cuba. The Soviets executed their plan all but seamlessly. The United States were not as sharp with their techniques to detect an operation such as this. Before notice of the missiles the CIA’s estimates office produced a total of four National Intelligence Estimates (nies) and Special National Intelligence Estimates (snies) about Castro’s communist regime, its relationship with the Soviet Bloc, its activities in spreading communism throughout Latin America, and potential threats to the United States (Zegart, 2012). General Gribkov stated that “US intelligence discovered neither the true significance of the surge in Soviet shipping to Cuba nor the mission of our troops on the island until nearly all the men had come ashore and , still moving in large numbers only by night, had been deployed to their assigned positions” (Hansen, 2007). US intelligence officials discovered the missiles in Cuba days before they became operational. Furthermore, Cuba is 145 kilometers from the closest US shore. The Soviet’s capabilities of just their medium-range missile had a range of up to 2500 kilometers. It is safe to say that this would have changed the world as we know

On the dawn of October 16th, 1962, began a 13-day standoff that would be formally known to the western world as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Growing tensions between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) resulted in the closest the world has ever been to all-out nuclear war. This essay will talk about the initial weaponization of nuclear power, the events that led up to the missile crisis, the thirteen days the missile crisis took place and the measures taken to stop nuclear war.

When JFK learned of the Soviet Union placing nuclear missiles in Cuba he “determined at the outset that this could not stand” (Graham, 2012). After consulting with his closest advisors JFK publicly announced what the Soviets were doing in Cuba and implemented a naval blockade to deter more military equipment

did, in fact, have more missiles than the Soviet Union. What worried Khrushchev the most, though, was that the Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe, but the US missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. He worried that if the Soviet Union lost the arms race that badly, it would invite a nuclear attack from the US. Khrushchev needed a way to counter the United State’s lead. (May 49) In April of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev came up with the idea of installing medium-range missiles in Cuba. Cuba was close enough to the United States that the Soviet missiles would be an effective deterrent to a potential US attack against either the Soviet Union or Cuba. Castro accepted Khrushchev’s offer, since it would protect Cuba and, therefore, solve Castro’s previous dilemma. In mid-July of 1962, the Soviet Union began its buildup of offensive weapons in Cuba. The Soviets spent most of the late-summer and early-fall of 1962 ferrying launch equipment and personnel necessary for the preparation of missiles to Cuba. Since they could not use military ships (for fear of being discovered) the Soviets used civilian vessels. However, even with this caution, their actions were detected. As the US monitored the suddenly increased shipping activity to Cuba, rumors started in Washington. On August 10, John McCone, director of the CIA, sent the President a letter stating his belief that the Soviets were placing MRBMs in Cuba.

In the October of 1962, the world looked on at the Soviet Union and the United States as they partook in a head-to-head face off which could have potentially result in their immediate destruction. Before this event, no one had truly considered the potential damage nuclear weapons could cause, but only realized the consequences as war became a possible reality. During those crucial 13 days, John Kennedy and his administrators crafted and developed solutions that would ultimately save the United States and the world from a nuclear holocaust. During the Cuban Missile crisis, John F. Kennedy was forced to make many difficult decisions on how the United States should respond to the crisis. While listening to the many voices of reason, it became evident there was no easy solution to resolve the conflict and with many possible outcomes. For JFK, "The essence of ultimate decision [remained] impenetrable to the observer - often, indeed, to the decider himself.... There [would] always be the dark and tangled stretches in the decision-making process - mysterious even to those who may be most intimately involved”. As a president of the United States, his role was to protect his nation, and as the leader of a world power, he also had to consider the well being of the world. His decision was based off of more than just defending the country, but he took into consideration the intentions of the Soviets. John F.

The Soviet Union played an important role in bringing nuclear missiles to Castro’s Cuba in 1962, but it should also be mentioned in the context of the overreaching Cold War with the United States. In a broader context of the Cold War, the United States has presaged the Cuban Missile Crisis by President Kennedy’s placement of nuclear missiles on the border of Turkey and Italy, which was perceived as a threat by Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev,. These events took place in 1961, which could be perceived as a cause for the movement of nuclear missiles by the Soviets to Cuba in 1962. Overall, it was also evident that the Soviets and the U.S.

John F. Kennedy needed to handle the presence of the Soviets in Cuba without diminishing the moral position of the United States. When a formal meeting of the National Security Council was held, many arguments were shared o how to handle the crisis. The main arguments of action were blockade or military action, in particular- nuclear weapons. “It had worried him that a blockade would not remove the missiles – now it was clear that an attack could not accomplish that task completely, either” (Kennedy, 39). Therefore, John F. Kennedy chose to not only blockade; however, to blockade and provide military action in the event that a blockade would fail. His ultimate policy was to remove the missiles and nuclear warheads from Cuba using the blockade to support the moral position of the United States and to be prepared to

By 1962, the Soviet Union was considerably behind the United States in the nuclear arms race. The Soviet Union had limited range missiles that were only capable of being launched against Europe, but the United States possessed missiles that were capable of striking anywhere within the entire Soviet Union. As it is often said, when it comes to national security, leaders sometimes make irrational decisions. In an effort to restore the balance of power Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev devised the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba (14 days in October). This deployment of weapons in Cuba would double the Soviet strategic arsenal and provide a credible deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 reflects possibly the most precarious moment in nuclear history. For the first time, the world’s two nuclear super powers, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, were poised to destroy each other in a war of unprecedented proportion. On the brink of what may have escalated into a nuclear war, the leaders of two nations showed courageous restraint and diplomacy to avoid an exchange of brute force and unimaginable desolation. The situation was preempted by the Bay of Pigs, an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba. Castro had gained authority through a rebellion against Fulgencio Batista, the previous Cuban dictator (Bay of Pigs). America was displeased with Castro, mainly because he was a Communist leader so close to American shores, so a plan to depose him was made, without official United States military support.

The US was trying to overturn the Cuban communist regime which was under Fidel Castro’s control and was strongly influenced by the soviets. As the Americans’ attempts failed, the Soviets strengthened their connection with Castro by placing missiles in Cuba to menace the United States and to stop them for overthrowing Castro’s regime in Cuba. When the US president, J.F. Kennedy discovered about the missiles’ presence in Cuba, he asked for them to be removed, insisting that failure to do so would lead to a nuclear war. After two weeks of anxiety, stress and a US naval blockade of Cuba, the USSR agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and the US agreed to remove their missiles from Turkey and pledge not to invade Cuba. (Mesquita, 2014) This crisis and the threat of a nuclear war was needed in order for the two superpowers to understand that it is essential for them to find a way to

The Missile Crisis developed in 1962 because Fidel Castro believed that America would soon try again to invade his country. He asked the Soviet Union for help in defending his island nation. The Soviet Union replied by sending small arms, tanks, and infantry units to Cuba, as well as secretly transferring nuclear missiles to missile silos that were under construction in Cuba. The Americans were shocked when one of their U-2 spy planes discovered the nuclear silos under construction in Cuba because it meant that for the first time the Soviet missiles were within range of most major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C. This created a very difficult problem for American President John F. Kennedy for which he needed to find a solution. He could not allow the missile silos to finish being constructed because that would place the United States in danger. That meant that either he would have to try diplomatic means to attempt to negotiate the removal of the weapons, or he would have to use the might of the American military to remove the weapons by force. Neither option looked particularly favourable. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (the President's military advisors) urged a swift and strong military invasion to destroy the silos before the Soviets could react. Kennedy was concerned, however, of the possibility of Soviet nuclear retaliation for the invasion because invasion was clearly an act of war. Up until that point, neither side had been willing to risk direct