Cuban Missile Crisis Oct

1500 CIA trained Cuban exiles land in Cuba to start a revolution Easily defeated by the Cuban army: no US troop or air support Huge embarrassment for the Kennedy Administration

Plan by CIA to rid Cuba of Communist Government - Interrupt Cuban trade - Raids by Cuban exiles - Attempt to assassinate Castro

Since we are buddies…maybe you could help us out?

How about we build some missile sites?

Sounds good to me!

Build nuclear missile sites in Cuba (90 miles from Florida)

- Built as a response to the CIA’s need to spy on the U.S.S.R. - Flies at 90,000ft, well out of range of anti-aircraft fire and other aircraft of the time - Flies at 510mph, 200mph faster than other aircraft of the 50s - Kodak developed special cameras to allow the U-2 to take accurate aerial photos

The U.S.S.R. and American public learned about the U-2 in 1960 during the so called “U-2 Crisis” Francis Gary Powers, a U-2 pilot was shot down over the U.S.S.R. The U.S.A. claimed the plane was used for routine weather research…but when Khrushchev was able to produce not only the wreckage of the U-2, but developed spy photos and the pilot, Eisenhower admitted the true purpose of the U-2.

Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 3 years in prison and an additional 7 years of hard labor. After 1.5 years in prison he was traded for a Soviet spy and returned to work as a test pilot for Lockheed.

Some Americans were angry that Powers did not activate the self destruct feature on his aircraft (which allowed the Soviets to access the photos). People were also upset that he failed to use a CIA issued suicide pin. The senate, after an investigation, decided he acted with distinction in a bad situation.

U-2s were being used to spy on all communist nations around the world, not just the U.S.S.R. That meant Cuba!

On October 15, 1962 a U-2 photographed Soviet missile sites in Cuba.

October 15 th, 1962: U-2 spy plane takes pictures of missile sites being built in Cuba

I really need to figure out what to do about these missiles…

a. Appeal to the U.N.

We are usually really, really, slow…

a. Appeal to the U.N. b. Air strikes to destroy launch sites c. Military invasion

Well, air strikes or an invasion might work…

Of course, then we are attacking Cuba

And remember, there is nothing illegal about these missiles…you just don’t like them!

Besides, it isn’t like you don’t have nuclear missiles all over Western Europe!

We just want to have them there as a deterrent, we aren’t planning a first strike…

Darn!

I guess we can’t attack them…

a. Appeal to the U.N. b. Air strikes to destroy launch sites c. Military invasion d. Nuclear attack

Maybe nukes…

Of course… we have that whole mutually assured destructio n thing…

Nuke Cuba and die!

Darn!

a. Appeal to the U.N. b. Air strikes to destroy launch sites c. Military invasion d. Nuclear attack e. Naval quarantine (blockade)

As a result of the Soviet missiles on Cuba the U.S. is enacting a naval quarantine…

The blockade will be at a radius of 500 nautical miles (that is a really long way)

If any ship should violate the blockade it will be fired on and sunk…

JFK announces the U.S. will use a naval blockade

We have dispatched 180 ships to stop the arrival of more nuclear weapons

200,000 troops have assembled in South Florida should we need to invade Cuba…

And we have launched B-52 bombers with nuclear bombs… just in case

But there is nothing illegal about these missiles…you just don’t like them!

SCREW YOU U.S.A

And screw your silly blockade!

Soviet Premier Khrushchev tells JFK that the USSR will not observe the blockade

Gee…I really hope those Soviet ships stop…

My ships are approaching the blockade… I wonder if Kennedy is serious…

Shall we proceed to Cuba?

No…I suppose you should stop…

Maybe we can work something out

Moscow radios the ships to hold their position

Well, at least that crazy Khrushchev held his ships

Still, this could really get bad if we aren’t careful…

DEFCON 2 I should probably raise the military to DEFCON 2

DEFCON 1: Maximum force readiness; attack is believed to be imminent. DEFCON 2: Further increased readiness. DEFCON 3: Increased force readiness. DEFCON 4: Peacetime; Increased intelligence; Strengthened security measures. DEFCON 5: Peacetime.

U.S. forces move to DEFCON 2…the highest level it has ever been

I will pull my missiles out of Cuba if you promise not to invade…

Hmm… that sounds like it might work for us

Khrushchev announces he will remove missiles if U.S. agrees to not attack Cuba

We just shot down a U-2 over Cuba!

And…we shot at another over the U.S.S.R.!

You have brought us to the brink of war…

Errr….

Crap…I told them to stop flights… what is LeMay doing?

Ooops?

Now we demand you pull your missiles out of Turkey!

I think we can arrange to remove those missiles

Khrushchev demands nuclear missiles be removed from Turkey

Good…then we will send our ships back to the Soviet Union…

And we will dismantle the missiles in Cuba…

Wow, that really made us look bad…

I wonder how I can restore my nation’s prestige…

And hopefully save my career…

I guess I should build a bunch more missiles…

Yep…that should do it

This worked out pretty well…

But it was scary!

Oh well…its been a month… we can lift the embargo

We did manage to contain the Soviets!

But…we better build up a bunch of new nukes just in case

A direct line between the White House and the Kremlin

Aug – “Hotline” set up because the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. recognized the importance of negotiations to avert “mistaken” nuclear launch