THE CUBAN MISSILE

1. THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

2. Background Part I Cold War Tension • Struggle for Land • East-West Germany  Berlin Airlift  Berlin Wall • Containment  Eastern Europe/Iron Curtain, China, Korea • Spying  McCarthy, Rosenbergs, U2 Incident

3. Background Part II The Arms Race • Improved delivery systems • Sputnik  ICBMs • Multiple warhead ICBMs • Improved Yield • Atom Bomb… Fission Bomb… • Hydrogen Bomb… Fusion Bomb… • Hiroshima blast = 15, 000 tons of TNT. Largest hydrogen bombs today = with 60,000,000 tons of TNT. • So a bomb today is like 4000 Hiroshimas.

4. Hiroshima H-Bomb Test

5. Background Part II (cont.) • Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) • By the 1960s, it was fairly clear that in a nuclear war, everyone would die. • Even if the bombs didn’t kill everyone immediately, scientists predicted a nuclear winter and nuclear falloutwould finish the job • Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado

6. Part I. Cuban Revolution • Like many Latin American countries, Cuba was run by a dictator • The U.S. supported this dictator (like it did in many other Latin American countries) because the dictator protected American economic interests in Cuba • Americans owned a lot of the land in Cuba and made a lot of $ from the land and from running vacation spots in Cuba • Many Cubans resented the dictator (Batista) and the aid he received from America

7. Cuban Revolution (cont.) • In 1959, a revolution, led by Fidel Castro, overthrew the Cuban dictatorship • Castro proclaimed the island communist and seized American land and oil refineries • America stopped trade with Cuba and Castro increasingly turned towards the Soviet Union as a partner (trade, aid, etc.)

8. Part II. The Bay of Pigs Invasion • aka The Bay of Pigs Fiasco (from an American perspective) • Castro didn’t really make people in Cuba much happier • He allowed very few civil rights : freedom of speech, popular sovereignty, etc. • People’s lives were controlled: where you worked, where you travelled, etc. • Many believed that Cuba had traded one kind of dictator for another kind of dictator • The CIA (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency) was given permission by Eisenhower and then JFK in 1960 to train a group of Cuban Exiles living in the U.S. to invade Cuba • Hoped this would spark an uprising of Cubans against Castro and end Cuban Communism

9. Bay of Pigs (continued) • When Cuban exiles landed in a Cuban Bay called the Bay of Pigs, the U.S. air force, which had promised air support, hesitated, not wanting to be brought into conflict with the Soviet Union • The CIA-trained Cuban force was routed by the Castro-led Cuban military • The U.S. had to pay Castro to release them • Huge embarrassment for America on the international stage

10. Part III. The Cuban Missile Crisis • After the Bay of Pigs, the Soviet Union began to send weapons to Cuba to protect against further invasion • JFK publicly said that the U.S. would not tolerate nuclear weapons in Cuba • Why such a big deal?

12. The Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.) • In 1962, the U.S., using U2 spy planes, photographed nuke launch sites in Cuba

13. The Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.) • What were JFK’s options? • Pretend he doesn’t know the nukes are there and just live with them • Attack Cuba • Anything else? • Brinksmanship • Who is willing to step closer to the precipice of nuclear war? • JFK publicly announced that nukes were in Cuba and that the Soviet Union had to withdraw them • Then, JFK ordered a naval blockade of all ships going to and from Cuba

15. The Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.) • In the end, Khrushchev (Soviet leader) blinked • Pulled missiles out of Cuba • P.S. U.S. agreed to pull missiles out of Turkey, too • But… we had never admitted they were there in the first place, so we never admitted they were gone (to the public) • Thus, looked like JFK had won a huge Cold War victory

17. Hansen Name _____________________U.S. History Period _________The Cuban Crisis Note-Taking Guide Part I. Cuban Revolution • Like many Latin American countries, Cuba was run ___ _____________________________ • The U.S. ____________________ this dictator (like it did in ___________________________________ _____________________) because the dictator protected American _____________________ in Cuba • Americans owned a lot of the ________ in Cuba and made a lot of _____ from the land and from running ____________________________in Cuba • Many Cubans resented the dictator (_________ ) and the aid he received from America • In 1959, a revolution, led by ____________, overthrew the Cuban dictatorship • Castro proclaimed the island _____________ and seized American land and ____________________ • America ____________________ with Cuba and Castro increasingly turned towards the ___________ __________ as a partner (trade, aid, etc.) Part II. The Bay of Pigs Invasion • aka The Bay of Pigs Fiasco (from a U.S. perspective) • Castro didn’t really make people in Cuba much ______ • He allowed very few _____________: freedom of speech, popular sovereignty, etc. • People’s lives were ___________: where you worked, where you travelled, etc. • Many believed that Cuba had traded one kind of dictator for _____________________________ Background Part I- Cold War Tensions • Struggle for Land • East-West _______ Berlin _________ Berlin _______ • Containment  Eastern Europe/Iron Curtain, China, _________ • Spying  McCarthy, _________________, U2 Incident Background Part II- The Arms Race • Improved ____________ systems • Sputnik  ICBMs - ______________________ _______________________________________ • Multiple ______________ ICBMs • Improved _______________ • Atom Bomb… Fission Bomb… • ________________________… Fusion Bomb… • Hiroshima blast = __________tons of TNT. Largest hydrogen bombs today = with ____________________ tons of TNT. • So a bomb today is like _____ Hiroshimas. • Mutually Assured Destruction ( ____________) • By the 1960s, it was fairly clear that in a nuclear war, ____________________________. • Even if the bombs didn’t kill everyone immediately, scientists predicted a nuclear winter-_________________________ _________________________________ and nuclear fallout - _______________________________________________________________would finish the job • Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado - __________ ______________________________________

18. Brinksmanship • Who was willing to step closer to the precipice ________________________________? • JFK _______________________________ _____________________________________ and that the Soviet Union had to withdraw them • Then, JFK ordered a ___________________ of all ships going to and from Cuba • In the end, Khrushchev ________________________ • Pulled _______________________________ • P.S. U.S. agreed to pull missiles ______________ __________________________, too • But… we had never admitted they were there in the first place, __________________________ ____________________ (to the public) • Thus, looked like JFK had ________________ ______________________________________ • The CIA (U.S. __________________________) was given permission by Eisenhower and then ________ in 1960 to train a group of Cuban Exiles living in the U.S. to _________________________ • Hoped this would spark an ____________________________ against Castro and end ______________________ • When Cuban exiles landed in a Cuban Bay called the Bay __________, the U.S. air force, which had promised ___________, hesitated, not wanting to _______________________________ ________________________________________ • The CIA-trained Cuban force was ___________ ___________________________ Cuban military • The U.S. had to __________ to release them • Huge __________ for America on the ____________________________ Part III. The Cuban Missile Crisis • After the Bay of Pigs, the Soviet Union began to ______________________________________ _____________ to protect against further invasion • JFK publicly said that the U.S. would not tolerate ___________________ in Cuba • Why such a big deal? ________________ ___________________________________ • In 1962, the U.S., using U2 spy planes, ______________________________ ______ sites in Cuba • What were JFK’s options? • __________________________________________ the nukes are there and just live with them • _____________Cuba • Anything else?