Cuban+Missile+Crisis


 * __........................................................................................................__Cuban Missile Crisis__...................................................................................................__**

__Contents__

__~ Introduction ~ The Trigger to the Crisis ~ The Crisis Begins ~ Comes to an End ~ The Results__

__Introduction__

The closest the Cold War came to becoming a Nuclear War was in 1962; the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was a strategic battle between two large nations; the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.. A Soviet attack on the U.S. was only a small fear. The U.S. was prepared to launch missiles in a counter attack from Turkey where they had their missiles pointed at the Soviets and try to protect the country, but when Castro and Khrushchev secretely planned to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, it became a bigger problem. Cuba was only 90 miles from the U.S. leaving no time to fire back and save what would be left of the country. The fate of man-kind depended on the compromise of President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

media type="custom" key="3922013" __The trigger to the Crisis__

Kennedy and Khrushchev met to discuss the situation in Berlin, but nothing was resolved. Instead, the Soviets felt threatened by the amount of missiles the U.S. had and how close they were; 150 miles away in Turkey. The U.S. took many attempts in trying to oust Castro from leading Cuba. One of the invasions was the Bay of Pigs, which was of no success, there were other invasions, also failing. This is what gave Castro the impression that the U.S. was serious about invading Cuba. Castro turned to the U.S.S.R. for protection and he and Khrushchev were now on the same side, leading to the placement of missiles in Cuba. As protection for both Cuba and the U.S.S.R., the Soviets placed missiles in Cuba, pointing them at the U.S.; this was the peak of the crisis.

[|**Letters**] à Click here to read two of the many letters exchanged between Kennedy and Khrushchev

__The Crisis begins__

A U2 spy plane took pictures of Cuba, showing the missile bases. President Kennedy set up a committee of the National Security Council to help him make a plan. His decision led him to announcing that he was setting up a naval blockade of Cuba. He deployed B52 nuclear bombers, instructing them that one-eighth of them will be airborne at all times. That same day, a Western spy working in Russia was arrested, leaving his last message; ‘Soviet attack imminent’. While Kennedy was coming up with a defensive plan, Khrushchev explained that the missile sites in Cuba were simply for their defense, in case of an agressive attack. He also sent 20 Russian ships to Cuba to help in this defense; Cuba was completely depending on the Soviets for support. Khrushchev had accused the U.S. of piracy, warning them that they were ready for an attack. Instead of waiting for it, the first Russian ship was sent to the naval blockade. Because it was an oil ship, it was allowed through. The other Russian ships, carrying missiles, turned back. After this, the U.S. secretely offered to remove their missiles from Turkey in exchange for the U.S.S.R. removing theirs from Cuba. However, Russia was still building the missile bases, while Kennedy started planning a military attack on Cuba. That day, this came to a pause. Khrushchev sent a telegram to Kennedy offering an agreement. Khrushchev would dismantle the bases if Kennedy would lift the naval blockade and not invade Cuba. Before Kennedy was given a chance to reply, Khrushchev sent another telegram, asking for more from the U.S.. Kennedy would have to dismantle the missile bases in Turkey. This was not yet the end of the crisis. A U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba on the same day the agreements were put forward. The thoughts and threats of war were suddenly pushed to the front of everyone's minds. Fortunetly, Kennedy ignored this incident and returned a letter to Khrushchev.

__Comes to an End__

After 14 days of threats and getting ready to fight, the Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end. However, it did not end too easily, but the agreements that were made earlier came through. The U.S.S.R. offered to remove their missles from Cuba, if the U.S. would promise to not to invade Cuba. Later on, the deal became more than just that. The U.S. would have to dismantle their missiles in Turkey. Kennedy publically agreed to not invade Cuba, but secretely agreed to remove the missiles. The agreement went smoothly and both removed their missiles. Despite how smoothly it went, American citizens did not know about the secret deal, which many Americans opposed. The citizens thought Kennedy had forced the U.S.S.R. to remove the missiles by threatening war. A month after the crisis ended, Russian bombers left Cuba and the blockade was lifted.

__The Results__

Cuba depended on the Soviets for support for a long time, but in 1991 it ended. With the break up of the Soviet Union and the loss of support, Cuba's economy suffered a crippling blow. Castro refused to give up his power or adopt economic reforms. Castro was not the only one who had failed, Khrushchev lost his successful reputation, as China broke from Russia. Khrushchev may have lost his reputation of success, but Kennedy gained it. People saw him as the man who faced down the Russians. This almost nuclear war, had the leaders being cautious in the future. A telephone "hotline" was even set up for them to talk during another crisis. Almost a year later, the leaders agreed on a [|**Nuclear Test Ban Treaty**]**.** Even tho Cuba remained a Communist dictatorship, the U.S. left it alone and these countries were at a somewhat peace.

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 * __.......................................................................................................................__Bibliography__................................................................................................................................__**

__Websites__

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 Robert F. Kennedy Chapter 37. (1997). World Civilizations. Retrieved from: [] Fourteen Days in October: The Cuban Missile Crisis. (1997). Operations Centre. Retrieved from: []

Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. (2009). Greenfield History Site. Retrieved from: []

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved from: []

The World On the Brink: John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis . (1996). John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved from: []

__Books__

Beck, R.B., Black, L., Krieger, L.S., Naylor, P.C., Shabaka, D.I. (2005) World History: Patterns of Interaction, McDougal Littell

(2005) The World Book Encyclopedia, World Book, Inc.