Cuban Missile Crisis Notes

Geography and Proximity

  • Cuba is located only 90 miles from Florida.
  • The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October 1962.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

  • Warned Europe to stay away from the Western Hemisphere.
  • The U.S. was marking its territory and claiming the Western Hemisphere as its sphere of influence.

Spanish-American War (1898)

  • The U.S. engaged Cuba through Spain.
  • This war was an act of imperialism, with the Cuban people living under American influence for around 60 years after the war.
  • The U.S. controlled Cuba's trade, foreign policy, and economics.

Cuban Revolution (1959)

  • Fidel Castro, a Communist guerrilla, overthrew the nationalistic, pro-American government of Batista.
  • Castro allied with the Soviet Union, provoking fear in the U.S. due to the Cold War context.
  • The alliance violated the Monroe Doctrine, with Russia now present in America's "backyard."

Bay of Pigs

  • In 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower initiated a CIA plan.
  • The plan involved using Cuban exiles, with American support, to overthrow Castro and reinstate the Monroe Doctrine.
  • John F. Kennedy (JFK) inherited this plan when he became president in January 1961.
  • JFK decided to proceed with the Bay of Pigs invasion, which turned out to be a major failure.
  • JFK also authorized Operation Mongoose, a CIA program aimed at assassinating Castro.

Soviet Assessment of JFK

  • The Soviets perceived Kennedy as weak due to the Bay of Pigs failure.
  • The Soviets built the Berlin Wall in 1961, testing Kennedy's resolve, to which he did not strongly react.
  • Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, saw this as an opportune moment to act.

Soviet Strategy

  • Khrushchev aimed to place nuclear missiles in Cuba.
  • This move was influenced by the U.S. policy of containment and attempts to assassinate Castro.
  • In the summer of 1962, the Soviet Union began installing ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) in Cuba, targeting the United States.

Cuban Missile Crisis (October 15-28, 1962)

  • The crisis was defined by the concept of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction), where neither side was willing to initiate a nuclear war.
  • On October 15, 1962, the U.S. discovered the missile sites through U-2 spy plane reconnaissance.
  • JFK had to determine how to respond to this threat.

Initial Reactions and Near-Invasion

  • JFK's initial inclination was to invade Cuba.
  • Hardliners like General LeMay advocated for an invasion, arguing that the missiles in Cuba disrupted the balance of Mutual Assured Destruction by reducing reaction time.
  • The U.S. had missiles in Turkey, which the Soviet Union considered analogous to their deployment in Cuba.
  • The U.S. military had invasion plans ready.

Tommy Thompson's Counsel

  • Tommy Thompson, former foreign ambassador to Moscow, advised against invasion.
  • He argued that invading would corner Khrushchev and potentially trigger World War III.
  • Thompson suggested giving Khrushchev a way to save face and withdraw.

Blockade Decision

  • Instead of invasion, JFK decided to implement a blockade.
  • The blockade involved a naval standoff between Soviet and American ships.
  • Backdoor negotiations were conducted to resolve the crisis.

Resolution and Agreement

  • Despite the Soviets shooting down a U-2 plane, cooler heads prevailed.
  • The U.S. agreed not to invade Cuba again, which was a key demand from the Soviets.
  • The U.S. also agreed to dismantle some of its ICBMs in Turkey and Italy, which were close to the Soviet Union.
  • The Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba.
  • The Communist regime remained in Cuba under Castro. He outlived numerous U.S. presidents.

Additional Outcomes

  • A hotline was established between the Soviet Union and the United States to prevent miscommunication that could lead to war.
  • The missiles in Cuba were operational and assembled.