The Cuban Missile Crisis How did it change the world?

What were US/Cuban relations like by 1962? US cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba (Jan. 1961, under Eisenhower), and banned travel to Cuba later that year Kennedy tried to isolate Cuba by setting up the Alliance for Progress, which provided $25 billion aid to Latin American countries Kennedy also set up a special school for counter insurgency – the John F Kennedy Special Warfare School

How important was the Bay of Pigs Incident? The Bay of Pigs incident, (April 1961), gave the US a bloody nose, and Cuba a new sense of pride and unity Crucial in Fidel’s consolidation of power, allowing him to impose a harsh dictatorship. Persuaded many Cubans that a full scale US invasion was imminent.

Who decided to put missiles on Cuba? We don’t know for sure More than likely that it was Khrushchev’s than Castro’s The West had an offensive outpost deep in Communist territory (Berlin), and Cuba could serve in the same way. Fidel has said that it was Khrushchev’s idea rather than his The historian Arthur Schlesinger agrees

How was espionage used to find out about the missiles? A Soviet military intelligence officer called Penkovsky gave reports to the CIA about the development of missiles Anti Castro Cubans and CIA agents in Cuba described night time convoys to move weapons and the Soviet technicians Convoys were also observed by thousands of Cubans.

How were the U2 planes used find out about the missiles? The U2 reconnaissance aircraft could fly at heights of over 20 kilometres Took photographs of a strip of land 200 kilometres wide and 5,000 kilometres long A newspaper headline photographed at an altitude of 13 kilometres was legible

How were the U2 planes used find out about the missiles? The US flew missions from 1956 to 1960 over Cuba Great skill was developed in in interpreting these pictures. For example, the fin of a Soviet IRBM in Cuba was measured by comparing it to the number of bricks in Red Square, Moscow.

How were the U2 planes used find out about the missiles? 14th October 1962, two air force majors called Anderson and Heyser flew over Western Cuba in a U2 Their pictures showed a clearing in the woods near the town of San Cristobal. There were missile erectors, launchers and transporters, in a pattern exactly similar to sites photographed in the USSR

How much did the CIA know by October 1962? 85 shiploads had arrived at Mariel and a few other ports 15 sites had been prepared 4,500 Soviet military technicians were in Cuba.

Who made the decisions on the American side? Kennedy now set up an advisory group called the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOM). It considered various possible courses of action However, it was divided as to which course of action to choose

In what way was EXCOM divided? EXCOM was divided into two groups of people: ‘Doves’ and ‘Hawks’ The Doves wanted to pursue peaceful means of solving the problem The Hawks were convinced that using force was the only option

What did the Doves believe? Chief ‘dove’ was the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara He said the missiles posed no threat to the security of the US Adlai Stevenson, US ambassador to the UN said that the US should offer to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey and Italy, and remove soldiers stationed in Guantanamo, Cuba

What did the Hawks believe? Doing nothing would encourage Castro and Khrushchev to escalate their offensive foreign policies The military chiefs pointed out the overwhelming superiority that the US enjoyed over the USSR, and that the USSR could not possible hope to win a war so far away from their territory.

What did the Hawks believe? Dean Acheson, a veteran diplomat and foreign affairs expert demanded that the US initiate air-strikes against the missile bases He had the support of the French leader, de Gaulle Britain, consulted throughout the crisis, argued for caution

How important was the role of Kennedy? The president was supported by his brother Robert They decided on a policy of blockade, termed ‘defensive quarantine’ This would be backed up by a massive mobilization of the US air, naval, and army personnel.

How did the world react? The newspapers talked of ‘brinksmanship’ Millions of people believed that the end of the world was at hand It was expected that the Soviets would react by attacking Berlin or bombing the US missile sites in Turkey

How did Khrushchev react? Khrushchev abandoned his usual bluster and began to show real signs of fear All the Soviets did was to announce that the blockade was a breach of international law They maintained that the missiles were purely defensive

How effective was the blockade? Admiral George Anderson was given charge of the blockade but Kennedy intervened personally, and said that there was to be no boarding attempt without his specific approval. Only one ship was boarded throughout the entire crisis, and 53 ships were allowed through. A number of ships, however, did turn back, presumably carrying missile parts.

Why did limits to communication worsen matter? It took several hours to communicate between Washington and Moscow There was also no way for the Americans to check that the messages they were receiving were actually the will of Khrushchev

How was the crisis resolved? According to Robert McNamara, it was a matter of luck Two telegrams were sent from Moscow, with different offers Kennedy was advised to accept the first, and ignore the second

What was the deal? The Soviets promised to pull out their missiles Publicly, in return, the USA promised to never invade Cuba Secretly, they promised to withdraw Jupiter missiles from Turkey and Italy 6 months later

How were Soviet/Cuban relations affected by the crisis? Relations were soured for several years Fidel had been a spectator in the conflict, rather than a participant – he was not used to this role The final decision to remove the missiles had been taken without him being consulted.

How were US/Cuban relations affected by the crisis? The United States had not been able to overthrow Castro’s regime It would continue an economic blockade against Cuba from then onwards Opposing Castro became an obsession of the Washington ever since.

How were international relations affected by the crisis? World leaders tried harder to avoid coming so close to nuclear annihilation again Steps were taken to secure a ‘détente’ A ‘hotline’ was established between the White House and the Kremlin. A Test Ban Treaty was agreed by the USA, USSR, and the UK. Other arms control treaties would follow.

How was Khrushchev affected by the crisis? Khrushchev’s standing in the Soviet Union was severely damaged He had backed down during the ‘eyeball to eyeball’ confrontation This was the main reason for his removal from power in 1964

How did the crisis affect the Soviet Union? Later Soviet leaders were determined to close the military gap between themselves and the United States They had been terrified during the crisis at the prospect of fighting an enemy vastly superior to themselves on that enemy’s doorstep

How did the crisis affect the Soviet Union? There followed two decades of naval, airforce and nuclear expansion In terms of quantity, the USSR overtook the USA Their military hardware was always of an inferior quality and this expansion led to an economic collapse that helped to bring about the end of the Soviet Union

How did the crisis affect Kennedy? His reputation as a statesman grew immensely Seen as a leader who kept cool during a crisis, and managed to balance firmness and fairness in response to aggression But, for many anti-communists and anti- Fidelistas, he was never forgiven for not invading Cuba

How did the crisis affect Castro? His relations with the USSR were damaged, but Castro emerged well He now had a guarantee that the US would never invade his country

Epilogue: The USS Beale and the B-39 "a guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world"