Confrontation between the superpowers

Question 1

When was the Batista regime overthrown by Castro?

Answer 1

January 1959

Question 2

When did the Soviets offer economic and military aid to Cuba?

Answer 2

February 1960

Question 3

When does Castro promise to spread revolution across Central and South America?

Answer 3

July 1960

Question 4

When was the bay of Pigs invasion by anti-Castro rebels?

Answer 4

April 1961

Question 5

When did Kennedy authorise Operation Mongoose?

Answer 5

November 1961

Question 6

When did Khrushchev decide to send nuclear missiles to Cuba?

Answer 6

May 1962

Question 7

When did American U-2 spy planes discover Soviet missile sites on Cuba?

Answer 7

October 1962

Question 8

When does the U-2 spy plane crisis unfold?

Answer 8

During a 13 day period, 16-28 October 1962

Question 9

When does Khrushchev decide to withdraw Cuban missiles?

Answer 9

October 1962

Question 10

When is the Moscow Test ban Treaty agreed?

Answer 10

August 1963

Question 11

Why were the USA keen to keep Cuba?

Answer 11

-Caribbean regarded by the USA as it’s own ‘back yard’
-The Cuban constitution gave the USA rights of intervention and required Cuba to provide land for naval bases

Question 12

When did US fears of Cuba becoming a communist state increase?

Answer 12

February 1960 Soviets visited Cuba and arranged $100 million dollars in credits with Castro. Tying Cuba into both an economic and political relationship with the USSR.

Question 13

How did US-Cuban relations deteriorate?

Answer 13

1) US crude oil companies refused to refine shipments of oil from the USSR and so Castro nationalised them.
2) America implemented economic sanctions on Cuba and reduced their imports of Cuban sugar by 95 percent
3) Castro seized $1 billion worth of US assets on Cuba in October 1960.

Question 14

How did the USA decide it was time to remove Castro and his regime from Cuba?

Answer 14

The Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose 1961

Question 15

What was the Plan for the Bay of Pigs invasion?

Answer 15

To enable about 1500 anti-Castro exiles to land on Cuba and carry out a military coup to remove him.

Question 16

What were the impacts of the Bay of Pigs invasion?

Answer 16

-It was a disaster and a humiliation for Kennedy.
-Confirmed the Soviet Union’s and Castro’s fears about the USA’s intentions for Cuba
-Ensured that Castro’s power in Cuba was affirmed and consolidated- he had protected Cuba from American imperialism.

Question 17

What was the aim of Operation Mongoose?

Answer 17

To overthrow Castro and his regime through the use of covert operations to destabilise the regime and facilitate an Anti-Castro revolt from within.

Question 18

What are covert operations?

Answer 18

these involve gathering intelligence information, forms of economic sabotage and physiological intimidation through propaganda.

Question 19

What were Kennedy’s air strike plans named?

Answer 19

OPLAN 312 and OPLAN 314

Question 20

when did operation Quick Start begin?

Answer 20

March 1962

Question 21

How did Khrushchev respond to US aggression?

Answer 21

Operation Anadyr- he decided to deploy soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba in 1962

Question 22

What other military support for provided by the USSR in Cuba?

Answer 22

fighter planes, bombers and 14000 ground troops. As well as both short and medium range missiles.

Question 23

Why did Khrushchev want nuclear weapons in Cuba?

Answer 23

1) Defensive measure for both the Soviet union and Cuba.
2) to reduce the nuclear missile gap
3) to establish parity with the USA’s long-range missile capacity

Question 24

What was ExComm?

Answer 24

the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. The groups main role was to consider policy options and their consequences regarding the missile crisis. It included people such as Robert McNamara, General Robert Kennedy and General Maxwell Taylor.

Question 25

What was the division within ExComm?

Answer 25

‘Hawks’ who wanted military action versus ‘Doves’ who favoured a diplomatic solution.

Question 26

What was Kennedy’s solution to the missile crisis?

Answer 26

A naval blockade that would prevent the flow of missiles entering Cuba. It was called a quarantine as a blockade would have constituted as an act of war.

Question 27

What were the impacts of the blockade?

Answer 27

1) Gave Kennedy more time to focus on a diplomatic solution
2) Forced the Soviet Union to decide whether it would recognise the quarantine or not- doing so would weaken Khrushchevs position but not doing so would force the USA to take action. (Clear example of brinkmanship)
3) By 24th October, the first Soviet ships to reach the quarantine either stopped dead or turned around.

Question 28

What was Kennedy willing to negotiate as part of a diplomatic settlement?

Answer 28

The presence of missiles in Turkey. The Jupiter missiles posed a similar threat to the USSR that missiles in Cuba did to the USA, making it an appropriate bargaining chip.

Question 29

What did Khrushchev send to Kennedy to try and resolve the situation?

Answer 29

Friday 26th October he sent a long telegraph to Kennedy with the proposal that if the USA made a non-invasion pledge, the soviet union would remove it’s military presence in Cuba.

Question 30

How was a peaceful resolution complicated by Castro?

Answer 30

He was convinced that an American attack was imminent and on 26th October Castro ordered Cuban anti-aircraft forces to start firing on low-level reconnaissance planes.

Question 31

How did Kennedy respond to Khrushchev’s long telegram?

Answer 31

Kennedy ignored Khrushchev’s second letter and simply replied to the first. A meeting was arranged between the soviet ambassador and Robert Kennedy where he revealed in secret that the US were willing to remove missiles from Turkey.

Question 32

Why was it important that NATO didn’t find out about the removal of missiles in Turkey?

Answer 32

It would be viewed as a concession to Soviet pressure

Question 33

How did the cuban missile crisis come to an end?

Answer 33

-Diplomacy was a success, 28th October, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles.
-Castro was angered at what he viewed as a humiliating betrayal by Khrushchev and refused to allow inspections of missile sites.

Question 34

What was the significance of the Cuban missile crisis?

Answer 34

1) Crisis brought the world closer to nuclear war than had ever happened before.
2) Crisis led to a growing awareness of the need to create some control over the nuclear arms race by placing restrictions on tests. eg the Moscow Test Ban Treaty
3) Humiliation for the USSR- the USA’s superior military power had pressured the soviets into removing the missiles.
4) Cuba had remained a communist state- US commitment to the Truman Doctrine and containment had failed