CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS (1962)

Полина: Good afternoon /afternoon/evening, everyone! My name is Polina and today my

partners are Ilya and Kostya.
Илья: As you can see on the screen, our topic today is Cuban Missile Crisis (also known as
Caribbean crisis), that took place long time ago and played key role during the cold war. And it
is important to mention that our case is prepared for the year 1962. The conflict os already
solved. But we would like to play different and provide alternative ways of solving such a
controversial dispute… Our presentation will last about 10 minutes and we welcome all the
questions at the end.
Костя: First of all, I’d like to give you an overview of the situation that was common for 1962.
(рассказывает предысторию, там же немного хронологии).
1. After the 2WW the United States had grown concerns about the expansion of
communism, that is why Monroe Doctrine became topical relevant, but Cuba was
standing aside and that lead to the American invasion throw bay of pigs but failed.
2. In 1961 USA deployed their nuclear tipped, medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) in
Turkey and this step reduced the missile arrival time for American missiles to minimum.
3. In 1962 (early October) Nikita Khrushchev deployed soviet ballistic missile facilities on
the territory of Cuba in response, during many days missiles and staff was delivered
secretly to the island – all the steps were taken to prevent it from the discovery by
Americans.
4. The United States had been sending U-2 surveillance over Cuba since the failed Bay of
Pigs Invasion and on August 30 America finally found it out and all that steps provoked
tense relations between USSR and USA, naval blockade was imposed (1962, October
22), the world was on the edge of 3-rd world war.
5. In the end negotiations between Khrushchev and Kennedy took place and both agreed to
withdraw their offensive (1962, November 20) and defensive missile systems from the
territories of neighbor-countries, the peace was finally reached.
6. The negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union pointed out the
necessity of a quick, clear, and direct communication line between the two Superpowers
and the Moscow-Washington hotline was established (1963).
7. By the time of the crisis in October 1962, the total amount of nuclear weapons in the
stockpiles of each country numbered approximately 26,400 for the United States and
3,300 for the Soviet Union. At the peak of the crisis, the U.S. had some 3,500 nuclear
weapons ready to be used on command with a combined yield of approximately 6,300
megatons. The Soviets had considerably less strategic firepower at their disposal: 300–
320 bombs and warheads.
Полина: Turning our attention now to the problem. (Можем поменять)
“Two superpowers should establish peace”.
(what should have been done to solve the conflict the fastest way)
So, this is obvious, that the, main characters of our case are the Soviet Union, Cuba, Turkey,
and the United States of America.
And of course, related to our characters, the main issues are…
 USA strives to spread its influence on neighbor territory – Cuba, that accidently became
soviet-oriented country. USA tried to intervene in Cuba throw the bay of pigs, but failed.
That means, that USA is interested in spreading its influence
 Turkey joined NATO in 1955 and has no ability to combat the interests of USA, because
USA deploys its military bases and they are considered as a part of the territory of the
USA
 On the other hand, USSR is backing Cuba. The situation is to his(its-USSR) advantage –
to control and endanger the USA
 Both superpowers are seeking for balance and every move has its answer from another
Илья: So to solve such a topical problem, we have prepared 3 options, which are presented on
the screen. Each point has several advantages and disadvantages, let the pictures speak for
themselves.
But I would like to start from the first option, that is… If you look at this table/bar chart/flow
chart/line chart/graph, you can see that… (средняя по объёму опция-наша история).
 US announces that it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and
demands that the weapons already in Cuba must be dismantled and returned to the Soviet
Union.
+ No nuclear escalation expected (No upsurge in violence because nobody threatens to initiate
military actions)
+ Variability to initiate negotiations (because of …)
- USSR may not agree because it’s a significant advantage that equals both superpowers (vs
USA)
Костя: As you can see, the first option have some significant drawbacks and this is why the
second options … I’d like to illustrate this point by showing you… (самая маленькая по
объёму опция)
 Two superpowers are starting the war. USSR vs USA.
NATO and USA vs USSR
+
-
Полина: Another significant point is that… (самая большая по объёму опция, если таковая
будет. Ежели таковой нет, то сразу переходим к рекомендациям)
(recommendations) So, according to our study, our data shows, that … And therefore, we
believe that only a comprehensive approach, including the blend of all 3 options will ensure
peace and stability. As you can see on the screen, based on our findings…
(plan of actions) In order to achieve peace between The Soviet Union and The United States of
America, we believe that presented on the screen steps must be taken.
In a short-term our aims are…
In a long-term our objectives include…
So. Thank you for your attention and listening. And now, if there are some questions, we
would be pleased to answer them.