The Cuban Missile Crisis October 14 – October 28, 1962

John F. Kennedy 35 th President of the United States Democratic Party In office from 1961 to 1963 Assassinated on November 22, 1963

Nikita Khrushchev 1 st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Communist Party In office from 1953 to 1964

Fidel Castro 16 th Prime Minister of Cuba Communist Party In office from 1959 to 1976

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis? A thirteen day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the positioning of nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Leading Up To The Cuban Missile Crisis Tensions between U.S. and Soviet Union increased The USSR and the United States began building and placing strategic missiles: – U.S.: Italy & Turkey – USSR: Cuba Khrushchev saw Kennedy as weak The U.S. revoked its diplomatic recognition of Cuba at the beginning of 1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 Cuban Revolution in 1959 Lead by Fidel Castro Failed military invasion of Cuba to remove Castro’s government Castro asks Khrushchev for support and protection from future attacks Khrushchev agrees

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Berlin Crisis of 1961 Khrushchev thought Soviet Missiles in Cuba could be used as leverage Also thought U.S. might trade the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba in exchange for removal of NATO missiles.

Discovering the Missiles Cuba grew increasingly dependent on USSR October 14, 1962: – American U-2 plane photographed missiles on Cuba – Kennedy didn’t want Soviets to know he found them – He secretly met with EXCOMM (Executive Committee of the National Security Council) for several days to discuss problem – Also met with Soviets who denied missiles

The missiles posed a great threat to the safety of Americans as they were just 90 miles south of Florida.

Weighing The Options 1. Do nothing 2. Diplomatic Pressure 3. Naval Blockade 4. Strategic Air Strike 5. Full-Scale Invasion of Cuba

Do Nothing Pros Avoids immediate war USA still had more missiles than USSR Overreacting could lead to a full-scale nuclear war Cons Unpopular opinion amongst Americans Kennedy would look weak to the Soviet Union Leaves active nuclear missiles very close to the U.S.

Diplomatic Pressure Pros Cuba and USSR would be forced to remove the missiles Gained International support Safe place for negotiations to proceed Cons Seen as a weak option Khrushchev could react badly No immediate action

Strategic Airstrike Pros Would destroy the nuclear missiles in Cuba before they became operational Cons Could lead to war with Cuba and possibly the Soviet Union Missile may not be destroyed

Full Scale Invasion of Cuba Pros Was what Kennedy’s advisors had recommended Removes missiles Removes Castro from power Cons Could lead to the Soviet Union invading West Berlin Large number of casualties Cuba could launch nuclear missiles at the U.S. Could cause a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Naval Blockade Pros No casualties Would block off supply line to Cuba Prevent the installation of additional Soviet nuclear missiles Would avoid a direct attack against Cuba Cons Puts the United States in direct confrontation with the USSR Sinking a Soviet ship is an act of war Would not deal with missiles already placed Action would be slow

Kennedy’s Decision October 22, 1962 – Kennedy publically announces knowledge of missiles – States his plan to impose a naval blockade – Neither side backs down – By the 24 th, Kennedy believed the U.S. would have to invade Cuba

Video: Kennedy’s Speech

Khrushchev’s Letter October 26, 1962 – 3000-word initial settlement message from Khrushchev to Kennedy Offering a compromise: – U.S. would lift naval blockade and promise not to invade Cuba again – USSR would consider withdrawing missiles Next day: U2 spy plane shot down Khrushchev's message toughened Claimed both sides missiles were equally dangerous

Alternative Decision October 27, 1962 Kennedy offered Anatoly Dobrynin alternative with three components: – Public deal: U.S. would pledge not to invade if the Soviet Union withdrew its missiles – U.S. would secretly withdraw missiles from Turkey and Italy within 6 months – If rejected, the U.S. would attack Cuba within 24 hours

Resolution Khrushchev accepted deal at the last minute The U.S. promised to respect Cuba’s territorial sovereignty Prioritized the creation of the Moscow-Washington hotline in 1963 to facilitate direct communication between leaders – This creation hoped to avert any future misunderstandings that might trigger a nuclear conflict Castro accused the Russians of backing down from the Americans and deserting the Cuban Revolution

Video: Cuban Missile Crisis