CMC: Part 2

Question 1

16 October (2)

Answer 1

• EXCOMM established (War Cabinet)

- First meeting held and they were secretly recorded

Question 2

EXCOMM structure (1 + 6)

Answer 2

• Divided amongst the Hawks and Doves. The naval blockade became Kennedy’s preferred option as it showed both diplomacy and force.
• President Kennedy
• Lyndon B. Johnson
• Dean Rusk (Secretary of State)
• Robert McNamara (Secretary of Defence)
• Robert Kennedy (Attorney General)
• Llewellyn Thompson (Ambassador-at-large)

Question 3

17-21 and 22 October (3)

Answer 3

• ExComm debates options and RFK suggests the blockade
• Blockade announced on the 2nd and DEFCON set to level 2
• Kennedy speaks to the nation on TV

Question 4

23 October (4)

Answer 4

• Kennedy had arranged meeting with Andrei Gromyko (USSR Foreign Minister) where Gromyko stated that the missiles were purely defensive to deter against another US invasion of Cuba.
• Khrushchev further claimed that the US was interfering with the actions of a sovereign nation and accused Kennedy of warmongering
• Puts the Warsaw Pact on high alert.
• Propaganda and accusations made on both sides

Question 5

25 October (1)

Answer 5

• Adlai Stevenson and Valerian Zorin debate at UN. Zorin denies the existence of the missiles.

Question 6

24 - 26 - 27 October (3)

Answer 6

• Naval blockade instituted - game of brinkmanship
• Khrushchev sends first letter to Kennedy. The letter points out the hypocrisy of US rhetoric due to the Jupiter missiles. Khrushchev claims that they will remove the missiles if the US removes their missiles
• Kennedy agrees to never invade Cuba again

Question 7

26th meeting

Answer 7

• RFK meeting with Anatoly Dobrynin (Ambassador to US) where he demands missiles are removed from Turkey.
• RFK says that JFK will agree but the removal had to remain confidential as it was a NATO council decision to place them there.
• Didn’t want to look like they blinked first
• Backdoor agreement created

Question 8

27th (4)

Answer 8

• US detects Soviet submarine close to Cuba and signals to it with depth charges. Sub almost sends out a nuclear warhead but decisions is not reached by commanders and they decide to surface.
• Cubans shot down U2 with SAM 7s
• Another U2 wandered into Soviet airspace
• All heightens tensions

Question 9

28th (3)

Answer 9

• Kennedy promised to call off blockade if Soviets removed missiles. They agree and Kennedy secretly removes Jupiter missiles from Europe.
• Soviet ships ordered to return to USSR
• Khrushchev had “blinked first”