CUBANMISSILECRISISREVISION

CUBANMISSILECRISIS

In1958MarxistLeninistFidelCastrodroveawaythecorruptCubanpresidentFulgencio
Batista.AsaMarxistCastroquicklyturnedCubaintoaCubanstate.Itwasthefirsttime
inhistorythatacountryinthewesthadfallenundertheredhandsofcommunismand
thisfearedtheirAmericanneighbours.CastrohadconnectionswiththeSovietsand
NikitaKruschevinsistedontherebeingSovietMissilestobeplantedonCuba.US
airplanesquicklydiscoveredthesemissilesitesandfromthenonpeoplefearedthatit
wouldhavebeentheblinkofanuclearwar.

BATISTA
FulgencioBatistawasthedictatorthatruled
Cubafrom1952to1958.Heranundera
rightwingdictatorshipanddealtwithopponents
withharshpunishments.Verylittleprospered
underhisregimewhichmadehimanunpopular
personinCuba,howevertheAmericans
supportedhimregardlessbecausehewas
stronglyanticommunist.ManyCubanswere

CUBANMISSILECRISISREVISION

tiredofhisrulingandthiswasthemainfactorthattriggeredtheCubanrevolutionlead
byFidelCastro.

FIDELCASTRO
CubanunderwentalotofchangesunderCastrosrule.UnlikeBatista,
CastrowasinterestedinMarxismandturnedCubaintoacommunist
state.ThiscontradictedwiththeTrumandoctrineofcontainment,havinga
communistcountrythatisnearAmerica(Cubaisatleast90milesaway
fromFlorida)fearedmanyAmericans.BeforeCastrosrule,Americaand
Castroweregoodtradepartners,Castrochangedthisandtradedsugar
withtheSovietsinexchangeforoil,machinesandmoney.Thisoutraged
theAmericansandin1960theyrefusedtotradewithCuba.Castro
respondedwithswiftactionandnationalisedallAmericanowned
companiesinCuba.

BAYOFPIGSINVASION
OnApril171961,anarmyof1,500cubanexiles,supported
bytheU.Sgovernment,wenttotheBahadeCochinos(Bay
ofPigs)onthesouthofCubainanattempttooverthrow
Castro.TrainedsinceJune1960bytheCIA,withthe
approvalofpresidentEisenhower,theseCubanexileswere
suppliedwithammunitionandtrainedbytheUSgovernment
inGuatemala.Theobjectiveofthiswastoformanuprising
inCubaandoverthrowCastro.Theresultoftheinvasion
wasdreadful,theexileswereeitherexecutedorkeptin
imprisonment.Thefailureoftheinvasionservedasaburden
onKennedyasitshowedthathewasweak.Italsomade
Castro
suspiciousofUSpolicy.

MissilesinCuba
InJuly1962,KhrushchevandCastrometinprivatetodiscussontherebeing
SovietmissilestobeplantedonCubatopreventanyfutureinvasions.Castro
hadagreedwiththeplacementofSovietmissilesonCuba.AnAmericanU2
planehadcaughtsightofthesemissilesbeingdeveloped,andonthe16thof
October,broughtthemtothepresidentsattention.PresidentKennedyhad
metwithKhrushchevthepreviousyearinanattempttoperformatruce.
HoweverKhrushchevsawnopurposeincompromisingwithAmericabut

CUBANMISSILECRISISREVISION

promisedinsteadnottoplaceoffensiveweaponsinCuba.Itwasevidentfromthegovernment
documentsthathebrokehispromise.

WhydidKhrushchevputmissilesonCuba?
ThereareanumberofdifferentreasonsastowhyKhrushchev
wantedtoputmissilesinCuba.Someofwhichwere:
1) KhrushchevknewthatAmericahadmissilebases
acrosstheworld,oneofwhichwasinTurkeyand
KhrushchevfeltvulnerableastheSovietUnioncouldbe
hitundermilitarythreatanditwasclearthatAmerica
thattheywerewinningthearmsrace.Havingmissile
basesinCubawouldbalanceouttheodds.

2) Kruschevreceivedcriticismfrompoliticianswiththe
sovietUnionandheneededtodemonstratetothemhis
power.PlacingMissilesinCubawasagoodwayof
doingthis.

3) KhrushchevwantedtoprotectCubaasitwastheonlycommuniststateintheWestern
Hemisphere.TheBayofPigsinvasionmadeitcertaintotheSovietsthatCubaclearly
neededprotectionfromtheUSA.

KennedysActions
Kennedydidn'tknowwhattodosoheassembledagroupofadvisors(calledExComm)to
givehimmakesolutionstothediscoveryofthemissiles.
Kennedynowhadtotakeactiononthisandtheywereto:

1)

Todonothing

TheUSwasastrongernuclearpowerthantheSovietssodoingnothingisnotabadidea,however
theSovietsdidlieabouttheCubanMissilessodoingnothingwouldbeasignofweakness.

2)

Promoteanairstrike

TheMissileswouldbedestroyedbeforetheywereevenused,howevertheattackmaykillsoviet
soldiersandthiswouldsurelytriggeraresponse.Alsoitwasimmoraltoattackwithoutadvanced
warning.

3)

InvadeCuba

TheAmericanarmyhadenoughexperienceinmilitarywelfaretoinvadeCuba.TheinvasionofCuba
wouldgetridofthemissilesandCastrohimself.HowevertheUSSRwouldrespondtothisbyeither
protectingCubaorwithinthesovietsphereofinfluence.InvadingBerlinforexample.

4)

DiplomaticPressures

GettingtheUnitedNationsinvolvedinthesituationwouldavoidconflictbutiftheUSwasforcedto
backdownthenitwouldbeasignofweakness.

5)

BlockadeCuba

AblockadewoulddemonstratetotheworldhowserioustheUSwaswithoutharmingCubaorthe
Soviets..ThiswouldforceKruschevtodecidewhattodonext.Thiswouldn'tsolvethemainproblem
asthemissilescouldbeactivatedatanytime,thesovietsmightretaliatebyblockadingBerlinlikeit
didin1948

CUBANMISSILECRISISREVISION

Onthe20thofOctober,KennedyhadinstitutedablockadearoundCuba(oranaval
quarantineashecoinedit)topreventanymilitarysuppliesfromreachingCuba.Onthe22nd
KennedyhadpubliclyannouncedtotheAmericanpublicabouttheblockade.Inaletterfrom
the23rdofOctober,KruschevaccusedAmericaofpiracy,andoftryingtoprovokeawar
whichwouldannihilatehumankind.HewarnedthatRussiawouldgetreadyafittingreplyto
theaggressor.20RussianshipswereheadingforCuba.OnOctober24thefirstRussian
shipreachedtheblockadeandwasallowedthrough.Theothershipsturnedships.

On26October,KhrushchevsentatelegramtoKennedy,offeringtodismantlethemissile
sitesinCubaifKennedywouldliftthenavalblockadeandagreetonotinvadeCuba.Thenon
the27thOctober,KhrushchevsentanothertelegramdemandingKennedytodismantlethe
missilesitesonTurkey.Onthatday,aU2planewasshotinCuba.Thiswasthecrisispoint,
peoplefearedthatthiswasanunluckysignofwar.Kennedyignoredboththeincidentandthe
telegramandinsteadmetwithKhrushchevprivatelyissuingthedismantleoftheAmerican
missilebasesinTurkey.

Onthe28th,KhrushchevagreedtodismantlethesitesinCubaandonthe20thNovember
RussianbombersleftCubaandKennedyliftedthenavalblockade.