1.12k likes | 1.13k Views
This article explores the intense arms race during the Cold War, particularly focusing on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It highlights the history of nuclear weapons development and the dangerous tensions between the United States, Soviet Union, and Cuba. The article also examines the personalities and motivations of key players involved.
E N D
Cold War Arms Race: • “You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." --Albert Einstein • http://www.armageddonletters.com/
Cold War Arms Race: • "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." -- Albert Einstein
History of “Nukes” • From 1945-1949 USA was the only nation to have Nuclear Bombs.
The Arms Race Begins In 1949, the Soviets developed the atomic bomb.
History of “Nukes” • In the 1950’s Britain, France, and the USSR all have nuclear weapons.
“Trinity and Beyond”Chronology of First Five Nations With Nuclear Weapons 1945 July 16 U.S.U.S. explodes the world's first atomic bomb, the ‘Trinity Test’, at Alamogordo, New Mexico. 1949 August 29 U.S.S.R.Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb, ‘Joe 1’, at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. It’s a copy of the Fat Man bomb and had a yield of 21 kilotons. 1952 October 3 UK First British atomic bomb, ‘Hurricane’, was tested at Monte Bello Islands, Australia, with a yield of 25 kilotons. 1960 February 13 FRANCE First French nuclear test occurs at Reganne, Algeria, in the Sahara Desert. ‘Gerboise Bleue’ had a yield of 60-70 kilotons. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1964 October 16CHINA Chinaexplodes its first atomic bomb at the Lop Nor test site on the northeastern edge of the Tarim Basin in the XinJiang Province. It was an uranium 235 implosion fission device named ‘596’and had a yield of 22 kilotons.
Nuclear Holocaust- • World leaders realize the clash between the superpowers could destroy mankind.
Crisis • Today, it is known to Americans as “the Cuban missile crisis,” to Soviets as “the Caribbean crisis,” and to Cubans as “the October crisis.” At no other time in history has the world come so close to nuclear war.
Jackie was truly entertained by K’s jokes and asked K for a space dog’s puppy. She got one soon after returning to Washington
The Vienna Summit • 1. Easy agreement on neutralization of Laos • 2. Fierce debate on the terms of peaceful coexistence – right to revolution? • 3. Germany, Berlin. Major Soviet worry about growing West German potential and East German weakness • K repeats his ultimatum to sign a peace treaty with GDR and give it full control over E. Berlin • JFK warns of consequences: NATO will act • K says he’s ready for war
Players: Soviet Side Fidel Castro Premier of Cuba Andrei Gromyko, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikita Khrushchev Soviet Premier Anatoly Dobrynin Ambassador to the U.S. Raul Castro Head of Military Deputy Foreign Minister
Players: American Side John Kennedy U.S. President Robert Kennedy Attorney General Robert McNamara Secretary of Defense Dean Rusk Secretary of State
Causes • Soviet Insecurity • Missile capability NOT balanced. • Cuban Invasion • Bay-of-Pigs-1961, Operation Mongoose-1962. • Castro nervous. • Build-up • April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba to provide a real deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union or Cuba. • Operation “Anadyr “ Little support from Mikoyan and other members of Politburo
How successful were early attempts at ‘containment’? • Castro takes over US businesses • January 1961, US breaks off diplomatic relations • April, 1961, Bay of Pigs – 1,400 anti-Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Castro • Autumn 1962, Cuba has received 1000s of USSR missiles, jets, boats & personnel The US committed $100 million to overthrowing Castro, the CIA tried to sabotage the economy, they even planned to send him an exploding cigar! Why did they go to such lengths after April 1961?
Khrushchev admired Castro as a true, real-life revolutionary
Personality • Boorish (rude and impolite) • Interrupting speakers • Humiliated people • He once describe Mao (leader of Communist China) as an “old Galosh” translated to “old boot” which means Prostitute or immoral women • He once took off his shoe during an UN General assembly and banged it off the table repeatedly.
Why was the USSR interested in helping Cuba? • Cuba was a new Communist state • Cuba provided a launch base for USSR inter-continental missiles (ICMs) • Khrushchev wanted to test strength of new US president, JFK • Khrushchev wanted to force JFK into bargaining over US missile in Europe Why does this cartoonist think that Khrushchev was interested in Cuba?
The arms race begins…. • Both countries began developing their weapons so as to be able to ‘outgun’ their opponents. This meant: • developing more powerful weapons • Having more of one weapon than the other side • WHY NUCLEAR WEAPONS? • Cheaper than having a large army • They were a deterrent. The idea was to have so many missiles that they could not all be destroyed. If one side attacked then it knew that the other could retaliate. This was known as MAD – MUTUAL ASSURED DESTRUCTION. • For some the Arms Race was a test of the strengths of Capitalism v communism
Let’s See the Build UP • Compare the escalation of events amongst what was going on in 1961-1962
1961 • January 3rd: US severs diplomatic ties with CubaJanuary 20th: John F. Kennedy inaugurated as US president, after defeating Richard Nixon in the November 1960 election.April 12th: USSR launches the first man in space, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.April 15th: CIA-backed invasion of Cuba via the Bay of Pigs is defeated.June: The US begins installing nuclear-capable Jupiter missiles in Turkey, increasing its capacity to launch against the USSR.June 4th: Khrushchev issues another ultimatum on Berlin, giving the Allies six months to withdraw from the city.July 25th: John F. Kennedy calls for increases to the US military, in response to Khrushchev’s ultimatum.August 13th: East German troops close the border with West Berlin and begin construction of the Berlin Wall.October 27th: Beginning of a tense two-day stand-off between US and USSR tanks at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.October 31st: USSR detonates ‘Tsar Bomba’, at 50 megatons the most powerful nuclear device ever tested.
1962 • February 10th: Detained U2 pilot Gary Powers is returned to the US, in exchange for a captured KGB agent.October 15th: CIA reports that surveillance photographs reveal the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.October 22nd: John F. Kennedy speaks on television, announcing a naval blockade of Cuba to extract the missiles.October 26th: US military sets DEFCON 2, prepares ballistic missiles and stocks B-52 bombers with nuclear weapons.October 29th: Khrushchev announces the withdrawal of the missiles, following backroom negotiations with the US.
Why was there a nuclear arms race? USSR 76 IBMs 700 Medium range bombers 1,600 bombers 38,000 Tanks 12 Nuclear submarines 495 Conventional submarines 0 Battleships and cruisers US 450 ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missile) 250 Medium range missiles 2,260 Bombers 16,000Tanks 32 Nuclear submarines 260 Conventional submarines 76 Battleships and carriers
“Missiles & Machines of War” USN F-8 Crusader SS-4 "Sandal" 1000 km USAF RF-101 SS-5 "Skean" 2000 km USAF U2
1960: The biggest nuclear bomb ever built: “Tsar-bomba”, “Big Ivan”, “Kooz’ka’s Mother” (from old Russian proverb, much liked by Khrushchev: “We’ll show you Kooz’ka’s mother!”
October 1961: The world’s biggest H-bomb tested at Novaya Zemlya Island, the Arctic, explosive power – 57 mt
Gen. Curtis B. LeMay, Chief of the Strategic Air Command, advocated all-out nuclear war to destroy Soviet Union and Red China
Spring 1961 • JFK asks “If your plans for general [nuclear] war are carried out as planned, how many people will be killed in the Soviet Union and China?” • Answer: • 275 mln. instantly • 325 mln. after 6 months • Up to 600 mln. total for Europe and Asia* • http://www.japanfocus.org/-Daniel-Ellsberg/3222
USSR sent • two regiments of FKR-1 cruise missiles equipped with 16 launchers and 80tactical nuclear warheads • twoantiaircraftdivisions • a fighter regiment equipped with MiG-21s • four motorized rifle regiments, each with its own tank battalion a brigade of twelve missile boats • The total personnel figure for the operation was 50,874. • The forces required an estimated 85 transports to deploy: mostly freighters, but also some passenger liners • six Il-28 bombers with a total of six 407H nuclear bombs at their disposal three • Luna battalions equipped with a total of twelve type 3N14 nuclear warheads
Anadyr required : 43,000 troops to defend Cuba ( all disguised as Cubans and taught some commands in Spanish) 164 nuclear weapons, of which (as was recently revealed): 42 were already put on intermediate-range missiles, ready to be launched at US targets 9 were on tactical missiles, ready to be used against an invading US force
Khrushchev’s motives: • Certainly not to wage war on the US. • Rather: • To restore Soviet image as a military superpower ready to confront US • To protect the Castro regime • To obtain strike positions against US similar to those US had against Russia • Politburo ( Suslov, Mikoyan, Malenkovsky ) disagree ( apparatus bureaucracy is ticketed off as they are not consulted but ordered ) • Frightening times vs Funny times
What was the space race? The space race was a race between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore outer space. Many Americans felt that it would be dangerous to lose this race. They realized that if the Soviets could work or travel in space, they could easily spy on or attack the United States.
The serious side was…. • That a rocket that could launch a satellite could also launch a nuclear warhead at a target. • So space developments led to rapid advances in nuclear weapons. • By 1960 each side had the nuclear capability to destroy the earth • In 1961 Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut was the first man to orbit the earth – the Soviets had the lead. For Khrushchev it was a triumph for communism
Warning Signs • May, 1962: Khrushchev makes veiled references to a plot (How would the U.S. feel having 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…Major Richard S. Heyser • October 15: Presence of missiles is confirmed