Why was the us involved in the cuban missile crisis answers. They introduced a washingtonmoscow hotline, a telephone line that linked russia and america which could be used if something like the cuban missile crisis happened again, and a treaty was signed. The cold war and the cuban missile crisis uncovering the past. This book explains the critical events, along with the experiences of those who execute presidential commands in times of national crisis. The r12 was the first operational intermediaterange ballistic missile, the first missile ever massproduced, and the first soviet missile deployed with. October fury uncovers startling information about the cuban missile crisis and the potentially calamitous confrontation between u. In what was the most serious clash during the cold war, the uni. Kennedy and the cuban missile crisis foreign policy journal.
What was one outcome of the cuban missile crisis a. The origins of the cuban missile crisis lie in the failed bay of pigs invasion. Welch distill the best current scholarship on the cuban missile crisis into a brief narrative history. The only way they could terrorize us with missiles was to station them in cuba. This book tells the story of the cuban missile crisis in 1962, the struggle that president kennedy and his advisers including the author, who was head of intelligence at the state department went through to try to understand why the soviet union had put nuclear missiles in cuba, the alternative policies they debated to deal with the presence of the missiles, the aftermath of the crisis, and. A striking example of this was in 1962, the time of the cuban missile crisis. Harvard kennedy schools belfer center has created this site as a resource for the cuban missile crisis.
He puts the reader in the middle of the suspense and intrigue as the united states balances itself on the brink of war. For thirteen days in the month of october 1962, the world stayed on constant alert as president john f kennedy and soviet premier nikita khrushchev tried to reach a compromise and avoid nuclear war which would have possibly caused the destruction of our planet. The cuban missile crisis comes to a close as soviet leader nikita khrushchev agrees to remove russian missiles from cuba in exchange for a promise from the united states to respect cubas. After much debate in his administration kennedy authorized a clandestine invasion of cuba by a brigade of cuban exiles. Cuban missile crisis, 1962 a national security archive documents reader. Cuban missile crisis page 2 1 the cuban missile crisis. Sep 14, 2012 most books on the cuban missile crisis tell the story through the perspective of memoirs of those who advised president kennedy, as he struggled to avoid world war iii. We were in our third year, none of us 15 yet, and we were walking in the valley of the.
The cuban missile crisis was a confrontation between the united states and the soviet union during the cold war. Under a cloak of deceit, the soviet union introduced nuclear missiles into cuba, targeting 90 million americans. The cuban missile crisis differed from the korean war because the missile crisis was a direct communism threat to usas national security, yet the korean war was fought just for the name of containment and to merely stop the spreading of communism, therefore was more of a test to usa. They thought 20 were coming on a ship named the poltava. Reading lists cuban missile crisiscuban missile crisis. The bay of pigs and the cuban missile crisis, 19611962. Here he reflects on the decisions and outcomes of the cuban missile crisis. Relations between cuba and the soviet union were on shaky ground for some time after khrushchevs. A day later on october 27th, khrushchev sent a letter proposing that the soviet union would dismantle their. The cuban missile crisis of 1962 was the closest the world has come to all out nuclear war. Peter huchthausen, who served as a junior ensign aboard one of the destroyers, reveals that a single shot fired by any u. Tensions between the soviet union and the united states increased. Professionally converted for accurate flowingtext e book format reproduction, this study examines the lessons that can still be learned from the famous cuban missile crisis of 1962.
What might have happened had the united states invaded cuba, as some advisers had. The cuban missile crisis essay 2455 words 10 pages. Cuban missile crisis basically, through photographic evidence convened through u 2 flights over cuba, the us discovered that the soviet union was deploying nuclear missiles in cuba. Ur, a 2009 short novel by stephen king, is about three men who discover through a magic kindle that in a parallel universe, the cuban missile crisis escalated into a nuclear war and ended that universe. Most books on the cuban missile crisis tell the story through the perspective of memoirs of those who advised president kennedy, as he struggled to avoid world war iii. What was the outcome of the cuban missile crisis in the us. Oct 22, 2012 childhood memories of the cuban missile crisis its been 50 years since the cuban missile crisis had the u.
The cuban missile crisis proved that a small revolutionary state, backed into a corner and convinced of its demise, can bring the world to the brink of catastrophe. Thirteen days is a look from within about the cuban missile crisis. Michael bersons knowledge of those dangerous days of the cuban missile crisis is quite impressive. What are some of the best nonfiction books on the cuban. Kenworth y and othe rs, revie w of the cuban crisis, new yo rk ti mes, novemb er 3, 196 2. With the end of world war ii and the start of the cold war, the united states had. Step by step, robert kennedy gets us through those perilous days when a misunderstanding, a misstep could certainly have cause the end of mankind.
Black ops, 2010 video game, set during and after the cuban missile crisis. In contemporary times, literary and cinematic interpretations of the cuban missile crisis have still excluded a cuban perspective in their material. As a result, to try and prevent this, the ussr would place missiles in cuba. Popular cuban missile crisis books goodreads share book. How castro held the world hostage the new york times. National behaviour is the outcome of a set of power plays between important players in the national security complex power games. President kennedy and the cuban missile crisis students investigate outcomes of the cuban missile crisis by using primary documents and roleplaying president kennedys national security team. What were the economic impacts of the cuban missile crisis.
The cuban missile crisis was a confrontation that took place in 1962 between the united states and the soviet union over the soviet unions sending of nuclear missiles to fidel castro 1926. The cuban missile crisis essay 1292 words bartleby. The 9 most important lessons from the cuban missile crisis. The authors draw on newly available documents to provide a comprehensive treatment of its causes, events, consequences, and significance. It was not until october 15, 1962, that the united states had proof of soviet activities. In response to the bay of pigs invasion and other american actions against cuba as well as to president kennedys buildup in italy and turkey of u. New books on the cuban missile crisis the fourteenth day. Cuban missile crisis was a triumph of diplomacy, not. Sep 26, 2018 veteranwashington postreporter michael dobbs has pored over previously untapped american, soviet, and cuban sources to produce the most authoritative book yet on the cuban missile crisis. List of books and articles about cuban missile crisis. As a political officer in the red army during the worst of world war ii, at the siege of stalingrad, the soviet leader understood what could happen if things got out of hand. Both sides began to discuss a buildup of nuclear weapons. Welch distill the best current scholarship on the cuban missile crisis into a brief and accessible narrative history.
In his hourbyhour chronicle of those nearfatal days, dobbs reveals some startling new incidents that illustrate how close we came to armageddon. The cia said the warheads had not been delivered yet. Us u2 spy plane flights over cuban territory revealed the missile installation sites. Students investigate outcomes of the cuban missile crisis by using primary documents and roleplaying president kennedy s national security team. Lets begin with rfk, who has been lionized as a clever statesmen, partly due to his own posthumous 1969 book on the crisis. Using government memoranda, personal letters, and newspaper articles the cuban missile crisis, details the actual events of the political history, while explaining widespread public response. A gametheoretic history of the cuban missile crisis. The following article on the result of the cuban missile crisis is an excerpt from warren kozaks curtis lemay. His aim wasnt winning, as the traditional idea suggests. The cuban missile crisis was the moment during the cold war when the two superpowers. Get an answer for what were the economic impacts of the cuban missile crisis.
The cold war and the cuban missile crisis uncovering the. In cuba this event is known as the october crisis of 1962, and in the former soviet union it was known as the caribbean crisis. Outcomes of cuban missile crisis flashcards quizlet. Navy destroyers and soviet submarines in the atlantic. The cuban missile crisis bought the world closer to extinction than ever before. If the cuban missile crisis was the most dangerous passage of the cold war, the most dangerous moment of the cuban missile crisis was the evening of saturday, 27 october 1962, when the resolution of the crisiswar or peace appeared to hang in the balance. These prior events helped shape the different points of view regarding the soviet unions building of missile bases in cuba, and the day cuban missile crisis. I dont believe we have considered the consequences, mcnamara told the president. Cuban missile crisis, 1962, major cold war confrontation between the united states and the soviet union. The two superpowers plunged into one of their biggest cold war confrontations after the pilot of an american u2 spy plane piloted by major.
T he complete sto ry of the cuban crisis new y ork, 1963. The cuban missile crisis was a day political and military deadlock in 1962 between the united states and the soviet union. Aug 16, 2010 british archives on the cuban missile crisis 1962. Essence of decision is a great book if youre interested in more details on the cuban missile crisis, but there are some points that it is very important to keep in mind. The cuban missile crisis, also known as the october crisis of 1962 spanish. The consequences of the crisis were many and varied. Ordering information for this book is available at the w.
The us and the ussr, each armed with nuclear weapons, both practiced brinkmanship during this conflict. The cuban missile war was the most devastating war in world history. A concise history, second edition, don munton and david a. Fidel castro began to share power with democratic institutions. Although the soviets attempted to portray the outcome of the missile crisis as a.
First, my father deployed to homestead air force base on the tip of florida for several weeks and came back with a nasty sunburn. The closest the world ever came to its own destruction was the event known to us as the cuban missile crisis. The cuban missile crisis ipcs nias workshop april 5 th, 6 2015. Cia documents on the cuban missile crisis, 1962 declassified version, 1992, by united states central intelligence agency, ed. Fidel castro and the communist party take over in 1959 bay of pigs invasion1961 now back to. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Jfk remained calm and in control of the situation 4. The crisis was a defining moment in the presidency of john f. Jordan explains the history behind the peak of all this panic the thirteen days of the cuban missile crisis. I remember the cuban missile crisis very well for two reasons. The cuban missile crisis in 1962 was a major cold war confrontation between the united states and the soviet union. Thirteen days quotes showing 114 of 14 someone once said that world war three would be fought with atomic weapons and the next war with sticks and stones. Kennedy concluded that fidel castro was a soviet client working to subvert latin america. In fact, in the preface to his widely read and most influential 1966 book, arms.
The seven major factors identified here in order to explain the presidents firm grip on the foreign policy process during the cuban missile crisis were. In october 1962, an american u2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the soviet union on the island of cuba. Because the removal of nuclear weapons from turkey remained a secret it seemed as if the ussr had backed down and betrayed cuba. The consequences of the cuban missile crisis history essay. The cuban missile crisis october, 1962 slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Dec 24, 2009 cuban missile crisis analysis the cuban missile crisis was one of the most important events in united states history.
If you read british foreign office records from the 1940s, its clear they recognised that their day in the sun was over and that britain would have to be the junior partner of the united states, and sometimes treated in a humiliating way. Brenner worries that if the us found itself in a similar situation today, like the one were entering with north korea, the outcome would likely be different from that of the cuban missile crisis if us leaders followed the traditional lessons that kennedy has been praised for. Aerial reconnaissance during the cuban missile crisis by capt. This book exposes the misconceptions, halftruths, and outright lies that have shaped the still dominant but largely mythical version of what happened in the white house during those harrowing two weeks of secret cuban missile crisis deliberations. It appeared that the soviet union was installing nuclear missiles in cuba, and it was the closest the united states has ever came to a nuclear war. He had stood up to khrushchev and had made him back down. The main cause of the cuban missile crisis was the 1500km range of the soviets only usable ballistic missile. U 2 pilot andersons body was returned to the us and was buried with full military honors in. The missiles that were successfully shipped to cuba were sent in great secrecy, and the us. Get an answer for what were the immediate and longterm effects and consequences of the cuban missile crisis. Cuban missile crisis 4 the first consignment of r12 missiles arrived on the night of september 8, followed by a second on september 16.
Outcome 1 requires that the students display both key knowledge and key skills. Robert mcnamara reflects on the cuban missile crisis 2003. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Designed to help policymakers, students, and interested citizens draw lessons from these critical events half a century ago, this site not only provides background on the crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster in october 1962 but also offers tools to understand how. Most of what you know about the cuban missile crisis is wrong. Cuban missile crisis, major confrontation at the height of the cold war that brought the united states and the soviet union to the brink of a shooting war in october 1962 over the presence of soviet nucleararmed missiles in cuba. Why the cuban missile crisis ended peacefully, and what were its consequences. In six concise chapters, alice george introduces the history of cold war america and contextualizes its political, social, and cultural legacy. This book explains the critical events, along with the experiences of those who execute presidential commands in. In united states historiography, the importance of cuba in the cuban missile crisis has been marginalized by the threat of soviet made military hardware in the western hemisphere. Critics, including seymour melman, and seymour hersh suggested that the cuban missile crisis encouraged the united states use of military means, such as the case in the later vietnam war. Bundy informed him that a u2 had photographed the unmistakable.
After reading the first couple of pages, i was hooked. A day later on october 27th, khrushchev sent a letter proposing that. A prime example of brinkmanship during the cold war was the cuban missile crisis 15. On october 26, 1963, nikita khrushchev contacted president kennedy and offered to remove the missiles from cuba in exchange for a promise that the united states would not invade the island nation. A halfcentury after the event it is surely time to. The estimated number of north american deaths was upwards of 200 million. Twentieth century history 19452000 as this topic was taught in the earlier half of term 3, the students were completing area of study 1. Mar 31, 2010 what was the main outcome of the cuban missile crisis in 1962. Fortunatly, kennedy and khrouchtchev kept cool heads and. Comparing perspectives of the cuban missile crisis learn it. Cuban missile crisis in the form of a game i will call alternative, retaining the same strategies for both players as given in chicken but presuming a different ranking and interpretation of outcomes by the united states see figure 2.
Continuing lessons of the cuban missile crisis october 1962. The immediate consequences of the cuban missile crisis. Double, perhaps even quadruple that number of soviet, eastern european, and chinese citizens perished, and no one had any reliable data on how many western europeans, africans, asians, australians, and others were killed by the radioactive fallout as it. Cuban missile crisis was a triumph of diplomacy, not brinksmanship. Dec 26, 2015 if you want a more tacticallevel perspective on the cuban missile crisis, check out blue moon over cuba. The cuban missile crisis demonstrated that continuing to equip the nations military with a vast array of capabilities and warfare specialties was still valuable because it gave the president. It was through the decisive actions of newly elected president john f kennedy and then premier of the ussr nikita khrushchev. Cuban missile crisis the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war 1962 the players. Fortunatly, kennedy and khrouchtchev kept cool heads and did not listen to war hawks on both sides.