5 The Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 1

What caused an increase in tension over Cuba between the US and Soviet Union?

Answer 1

• Up until 1959, Cuba had been part of the American sphere of influence, as the Americans had strong economic interests in the island. However, it was ruled by a dictator, Batista, who was very unpopular amongst Cubans, but backed by Americans.
• In 1959, Fidel Castro staged an overthrow of the right wing government, and nationalised all American businesses
• As a result America banned the import of Cuban sugar, which would cause bankruptcy in the Cuban economy
• Castro had connections to communism and turned to the Soviet Union, who bought Cuban sugar and also sent weapons and military assistance at the end of 1959.
• The Soviets now had an ally very close to America, and had prevented America from trying to retain their businesses, which decreased relations between the two superpowers

Question 2

What was the Bay of Pigs in April 1961?

Answer 2

The Bay of Pigs was an attempt by the Americans to invade Cuba, by making use of Cuban exiles living in the US, who had left Cuba when Castro took over.

Eisenhower had signed off on the training of ‘La Brigada 2506’ by the CIA, and Kennedy was keen to carry out the invasion when he took over in January 1961
However, the invasion failed as:
- La Brigada 2506 were heavily outnumbered (1500 to 20,000),
- The Cuban people did not rise up in support as Castro was popular
- The Americans did not choose to attack the Cuban airforce which resulted in the supplies for the soldiers being destroyed

Question 3

What was the significance of the Bay of Pigs invasion attempt in April 1961?

Answer 3

• Castro gained even more support within Cuba, despite the severe economic situation, as he had successfully fought off an attempted invasion by America
• At the end of 1961, Castro declared his conversion to communism, and began to draw closer to the Soviet Union, and Soviet military advisers and combat units were stationed on the island

Question 4

How did Soviet military build-up in Cuba lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 4

• Khrushchev continued to send military supplies to Cuba throughout 1962 and Soviet technicians began to install ballistic missiles, with Khrushchev justifying their instalment by stating it was to defend Cuba
• The situation escalated when a US spy plane took photographs of Cuba on the 14th October, showing that Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles were being installed (IRBM), which were capable of hitting almost all US cities, posing a threat to national security

Question 5

What were the main reasons for the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 5

• America’s desire to prevent the spread of communism by attempting to remove Castro united the Cuban people and resulted in larger amounts of Soviet intervention
• America’s unwillingness to give up business interests
• Enabled the USSR to gain an upper hand in the arms race by developing another base
• Allowed the USSR to provide a direct threat to America, neutralising the USA’s presence in Italy and Turkey

Question 6

What were the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis and how was it resolved?

Answer 6

• The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted a total of 13 days
• Kennedy and a committee of 12 advisors decided to place a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from delivering military materials.
• Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were also placed on combat alert, as well as airforce bombers
• On the 28th October 1962, Kennedy eventually agreed to the terms of Khrushchev’s first of two letters. It was agreed that the Soviets would remove their missiles if the blockade was removed and there would be a promise not to invade Cuba.
• If there was no positve action by the Soviets by the 29th, the US would invade Cuba; Khrushchev accepted this offer. If the invasion took place, a nuclear war would likely break out.
• The USA also agreed to remove missiles from Turkey if the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba, but this was to happen well after the crisis.

Question 7

What were the immediate consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 7

• At first, the crisis intensified rivalry between the US and Soviet Union as the USA seemed to have won, and Khrushchev was criticised as weak by the China leader and Soviet cabinet members.
• Khrushchev did not inform the ministers of the agreement for the Americans to remove missiles in Turkey, therefore the crisis only seemed like a victory to him.

Question 8

What were the longer term, positive consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Answer 8

• The superpowers created a hotline between the White House and the Kremlin so letters did not have to be used in the case of crisis, which would slow down attempts to resolve issues.
• The USA sold grain to the USSR following poor harvests in 1963
• The Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed in August 1963, which stated that nuclear weapons could not be tested in the atmosphere (could test underground however).
• The Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1967, with several other countries, which stated that outer space would not be used to place nuclear weapons in orbit
• The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty was signed in 1968, where countries who signed the treaty agreed to not give nuclear weapons or information about them to non-nuclear states and would work towards an overall reduction of nuclear weapons and avoidance of another nuclear arms race
• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks began in 1969 to limit the size of arsenals, due to how close the superpowers had come to a dangerous nuclear war. This became part of the policy détente.