CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS

1. CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS

2. CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro

3. Introduction • The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States regarding the deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba.

4. Background • For many people the twelve days of the Cuban missile crisis was the most frightening of their lives. • Kennedy had been elected as United States president by promising to get tough with the communists.

5. In April 1962, America had placed nuclear missiles in Turkey.

6. U.S. Advantage • The United States had a dramatic advantage in nuclear weapons. • In 1961, the U.S. started deploying 15 Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) in Turkey, these directly threatened cities in the western parts of the Soviet Union.

8. Soviet premier Khrushchev publicly expressed his anger of the missiles deployed in Turkey. He regarded the missiles as a personal affront.

9. Deployment of Missiles • Khrushchev planned the deployment in May 1962, by late July over sixty Soviet ships were en route to Cuba. • On September 4, 1962 Kennedy told congress that there were no offensive missiles in Cuba.

10. CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS Missiles discovered by U-2 Surveillance planes Medium Range ballistic missile base

11. Missiles Found in Cuba • In 1962, U.S. intelligence discovered that Cuba was building nuclear missile sites throughout Cuba. • When the sites were completed, many East Coast cities including NY and DC would be in range of nuclear weapons. • Kennedy went on the offensive, blaming Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev for provoking world peace and demanded for the removal of the missiles from Cuba.

12. The missiles were not discovered by the U.S. until photographs were shown to Kennedy on October, 16, 1962. • Kennedy announced the discovery of the installations in a televised address on October 22.

14. The missiles had been placed to protect Cuba from further planned attacks after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion • The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 16th, 1962. • The crisis ended twelve days later on October 28, 1962.

16. Televised Address • Oct. 22 JFK informs the US of the Soviet missiles • “quarantine placed around Cuba”

19. FIGHTING THE COLD WAR • 90 miles from United States • Missiles now 5 minutes away from united States

21. THE PLAYERS • EX – COMM • Kennedy’s group of advisors • Hand-picked group of 19 men helped Kennedy through the crisis

22. X-COMM Robert F Kennedy Attorney General JFK’s confident and Facilitator of meetings Against Air strikes Ambassador Dobrynin

23. TheodoreSorenson • Special Counsel to President • Dove perspective • Wrote most of the correspondence

24. X-COMM Robert McNamara Secretary of Defense One of most important: Supported blockade Job was to monitor blockade and reigning in the military • R

25. Dean Rusk Secretary of State Cautious diplomat Wanted air strikes and brinkmanship

26. JOHN McCone Director of CIA

27. Anatoly DobryninAnatoly Dobrynin Soviet Ambassador. Good relationship with the Kennedys and opened the talks with the Soviet Union

28. McGEORGE BUNDY National Security Advisor Former Dean of Harvard Played Devils advocate Supported not taking out missiles in Turkey

29. Adlai Stevenson Ambassador to the United Nations Director of CIA

30. Curtis LeMay Chief of Staff United States Air Force

31. Dean Acheson Advisor to Ex-Com Republican Advisor to President Eisenhower

32. Advisor and Speech writer for JFK Ted Sorenson

33. A Brief Chronology • May, 1962: Khrushchev makes veiled references to a plot (How would the U.S. feel to have missiles pointing at them, as they have missiles pointed at us?) • September: JFK and Congress issue warnings to USSR that US will deal harshly with any threats to national security • October 14: U2 recon. flight over Cuba spots sites installing nuclear missiles • October 15: Presence of missiles is confirmed

34. The Missiles: One Site

35. Chronology, Continued • October 16: President Kennedy notified • October 16-22: Secret deliberations on what should be done • October 22: Kennedy tells nation his plan for blockade and quarantine • October 23: OAS endorses naval quarantine • October 24: Naval quarantine begins and successfully changes course of many Soviet ships

36. Chronology, Continued • October 25: One Soviet ship challenges naval quarantine; Kennedy lets it pass • October 25: At the UN, Adlai Stevenson directly challenges the Soviet ambassador to admit to the existence of missiles, when the ambassador refuses, Stevenson wheels out pictures of the missile sites • October 26: Soviets raise possibility for a deal: if we withdraw missiles will America promise not to invade Cuba?

37. Chronology, Continued • October 27: Soviets demand that Americans also withdraw missiles from Turkey; Major Anderson’s plane is missing over Cuba, presumably shot down; U.S. recon plane strays over Soviet airspace…high tensions • Kennedy tells Khrushchev that he will accept the proposal of the 26th, Kennedy tells his brother to tell the Soviet Ambassador that though the Turkey missiles would not be part of the bargain, they would be removed in time • October 28: USSR agrees to withdraw missiles

38. Soviet Decisions • Motivations • Close the missile gap—Currently far behind U.S. in terms of number of missiles • Verbal threats no longer effective with overwhelming evidence of U.S. superiority • Protect Cuba • Reciprocity: The U.S. has missiles pointing at us, let’s see how they feel now

39. Soviet Decisions, Continued • Inability to use the missiles • If fired a missile, repercussions would be severe

40. Why Khrushchev Settled • Effectiveness of naval quarantine • Conventional inferiority in the Caribbean • No possible countermove • Overwhelming world support for the U.S. • Other possible reasons • Got what he wanted? • No U.S. invasion of Cuba • U.S. missiles withdrawn from Turkey

41. The American Decision • In September Kennedy had stated and Congress had passed a resolution saying that if the Soviet Union placed offensive weapons in Cuba we would not tolerate it. • Could we then rely solely on diplomacy? Kennedys thought John could be “impeached” if he didn’t act in accordance with his prior warnings • Determined in first 48 hours of crisis that the removal of missiles was the primary objective • This objective effectively ruled out isolated diplomacy, and left two options…

42. The American Decision cont. • Option 1 - Air Strike • On October 17th, President Kennedy “made the flat statement that there would definitely be an air strike, at least against the missile sites, and perhaps against wider targets” (Bundy 394) • Reservations from others, airstrike may be using a “sledgehammer” to kill a “fly • Later that day Robert McNamara suggests policy in between diplomacy and an air strike

43. The American Decision cont. • Option 2 – Blockade • Advocated early on by McNamara and Robert Kennedy, blockade would not require instant killing, but critics feared it would not remove the missiles and would allow Soviets time to complete what they already had in Cuba • Douglas Dillon strengthened blockade argument by suggesting that it would only be a first step, that if Khrushchev did not remove the missiles to lift it, then more could be done • By Friday the 19th, the committee working on the blockade adapted it into a quarantine, on Sunday Kennedy accepted their plan as the course of action

44. Could America have acted differently? • Could we have used the crisis to remove Castro? • Our warnings all along had been against offensive weapons so once that warning is tested if we use it to attack Castro are we sticking to our word? • Could we have tried diplomacy before resorting to the quarantine? • If we didn’t keep secrecy, Khrushchev could have proclaimed defiance, or denounced quarantine…then both countries would be in positions where they’re heading straight for each other and can’t just turn back

45. Castro’s Role • No real role in decision making • Apparently out of touch with the situation • Oct. 26: “Aggression imminent/imperialists disregarding world opinion”—Clearly not the case • Khrushchev plays along to some extent but it is clear he disagrees with him (“your suggestion would have started a thermonuclear world war”)

46. Questions • Do you feel Major Anderson’s death justified more aggressive action? • Seeing as how our options in the crisis were somewhat dictated by the warnings we issued in September…should we have issued those warnings? • If the missiles in Cuba were conventional, and neither the Soviet Union nor the U.S. possessed any nuclear weapons, would the crisis have been avoided?

47. After the Crisis • The compromise reached satisfied no one, it was a particular embarrassment for Khrushchev and the Soviet Union who had not made public the withdrawal of the missiles in Turkey. • .

48. U.S. military commanders were also not happy with the result. General LeMay told the president that it was “the greatest defeat in our history” and that the U.S should invade immediately

49. Cuba felt they had been betrayed by the Soviets whom they had trusted, with all the decisions being made exclusively by Kennedy and Khrushchev.

50. The Cuban Missile Crisis spurred the creation of the Hot Line. This is a direct communications link between Moscow and Washington D.C. The purpose was to have a way leaders of the two Cold War countries could communicate directly to better solve a crisis like in October 1962.