The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

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The Cuban Missile Crisis1962
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TASK

• You are going to complete a decision making task
  on the missile crisis
• You represent Kennedy and EXComm (his advisory
  body)
• You must try to guarantee the safety of America
  and your own reputation.

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Background

• Cuba was a playground for Americans until the
  revolution of 1959.
• Cuba became a pro communist state supported by
  the USSR.
• The USA supported an attempted invasion of Cuba
  by exiles at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
• The invasion failed Kennedy was thus seen as weak
  by Khrushchev

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Background

• May 1962 USSR announced that it was supplying
  Cuba with arms.
• September 1962 Cuba had missiles, tanks, jet
  bombers fighters and 5000 soviet technicians.
• 11th September Kennedy warns USSR that he would
  prevent Cuba becoming a nuclear missile base by
  whatever means necessary
• USSR response was that they had no need or
  intention of placing nuclear missiles on Cuba.

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The Crisis

• 14th September American U2 spy plane spots
  missile sites on Cuba and 20 Soviet ships heading
  to Cuba with Missiles.

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• You now have 5 options to decide between. Read
  each and discuss it note down any comments your
  group makes.
• You will need to choose just one and be able to
  justify it and explain why you have rejected the
  others

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Option 1 Do Nothing

• FOR
• USA has greater nuclear power than the USSR.
• Dont want to be seen to overreact

• AGAINST
• USSR had lied about its intentions.
• Doing nothing may be seen as a sign of weakness

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Option2 Surgical air attackan immediate air
attack to destroy the nuclear bases.

• FOR
• It would destroy missiles before they were ready
  to use.

• AGAINST
• Cannot be sure to destroy all sites may lead to
  counter attack.
• Would kill soviet soldiers retaliation.
• To attack without an advance warning was seen as
  immoral.

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Option3 Invasionall out invasion of Cuba by sea
and air

• FOR
• Could remove the missiles and Fidel Castro.
• Reduce panic amongst American civilians.
• Forces available and trained to do it.

• AGAINST
• Almost certainly Soviet would respond with equal
  measure either in protecting Cuba or within the
  Soviet sphere of influence

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Option 4 Diplomatic Pressuresget the UN or other
body to intervene and negotiate

• FOR
• Avoid conflict

• AGAINST
• If the USA was forced to back down, it would be a
  sign of weakness.
• Would appear that Kennedy was not up to the job

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Option 5 BlockadeUS navy could prevent the ships
reaching Cuba.

• FOR
• Show that the USA was serious.
• Would not be a direct act of war.
• Khrushchev would have to decide the next move.
• USA have a strong navy.

• AGAINST
• Not solve issue of existing missiles on Cuba.
• USSR might retaliate by blockading Berlin as in
  1948.

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Your choice

• You have now read and discussed each option.
• As a group which one would you choose and why?

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What happened?

• Kennedy chose to blockade Cuba
• The blockade began on 24th October.
• Khrushchev writes to Kennedy on 26th and 27th
  admitting presence of the missiles and claims he
  will remove missiles from Cuba if the USA remove
  missiles based in Turkey.
• Kennedy promises not to invade Cuba as long as
  missiles are removed and sites destroyed.

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The Outcome

• Missiles were removed under UN supervision.
• Kennedys reputation was improved by his handling
  of the crisis.
• Khrushchev highlighted himself as the peacemaker.
• Cuba Remained communist and an ally to USSR.
• A hotline was set up between the Kremlin and the
  White House. Relations between the USA and the
  USSR begin to thaw.
• 1963 Test Ban Treaty signed (limited nuclear
  weapons testing)

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Task

• Who do you think won this battle Kennedy,
  Khrushchev or neither?
• Explain your answer.
• Do you regard the Cuban missile crisis as a
  success for containment?
• Refer to failure of bay of pigs, potential
  threat of missiles, options open to Kennedy and
  what Kennedy gained from the crisis.