Containment Flashcards

Question

How did the USA react to the Cuban revolution?

Answer 1

- Eisenhower began economic sanctions, refusing to trade with Cuba and buy their raw materials and sugar, in order to undermine Castro’s regime - However, these were futile as the USSR traded with Cuba instead - 17 March 1960, Eisenhower approved a plan to remove Castro and a budget of $13 million was agreed.

Answer 2

- Organised by the CIA - Training camps in Guatemala were set up to train Cuban exiles so they could take charge of Cuba again. - Two air strikes would attack Cuban airbases to protect the landing troops - 1400 troops would land in the bay of pigs and at the same time paratroopers would be dried to disrupt transportation and occupy Cuban forces. - A smaller force Would land on the east coast of keyboard create confusion. - 1400 troops with match on Havana Cuban exiles gaining support from the Cuban population before overthrowing Castro and his government

Answer 3

- Poor secrecy -> Castro became aware of the attack and was prepared for it - Failure to control the air -> The airstrikes missed many of the targets and photos of the repainted American planes became public and revealed American support of the invasion. - Failure to gain support -> And when Cuban exiles landed on the beaches they came under heavy fire. Some escape from the sea, others were killed or captured. Very few of the Cuban population joined the invaders. - response -> Castro ordered roughly 20,000 troops advance towards the beach and the Cuban air force continue to control the skies. The Cuban exiles were massively outnumbered leading to failure.

Answer 4

- captured troops were paraded by Castro and used as propaganda and his popularity increased as he repelled an American invasion. - After 13 months in prison, the USA negotiated a deal to exchange the prisoners for goods scarce in Cuba, and Castro received baby food and medicine worth $15 million. - The USA with humiliated, they had not remove Castro nor have they been able to keep their evolvement a secret

Answer 5

- February 1962 the USA imposed an embargo against Cuba as Kennedy was worried Cuba was making money from exporting goods to the American market. - America place nuclear weapons in Turkey. - July 1962, America begins military training exercises in the Caribbean, seen by some as preparation for another attempted invasion. - Soviet advisers tell Castro the Americas playing another attempted invasion of Cuba and advise keeping nuclear weapons on the island to prevent an attack. - October 1962 secret U-2 spy planes takes photograph of the missile launchers in Cuba and President Kennedy is notified.

Answer 6

- Around 4 million people were killed - Millions were homeless and starving - Containment was achieved - South Korea remained independent and became of the strongest economies in the region

Answer 7

- land previously owned by USA given to the people - nationalises lots of USA industries - Casinos and hotels used by American visitors were shut down - Mafia forced to leave and go to the USA instead - Telephone company was nationalised - They were communist

Answer 8

- 16th October 1962, JFK informed of missiles - 20th October 1962, Blockade on Cuba - 22nd October 1962, blockade announced and calls on Soviets to remove missiles - 23rd October 1962, Kruschchev says Soviet ships will not observe the blockade - 24th October 1962, blockade begins. Missile carrying ships approach the blockade and then turn around at 10.32am - 25th October 1962, missile bases in Cuba continue to progress - 26th October 1962, Kennedy received long personal letter from Krushchev, claiming that the missiles are purely defensive and he would remove them if the USA insured they wouldn’t attack Cuba. - 27th October 1962, Krushchev sends a letter with demands for the USA to remove their missiles in Turkey. A U-2 plane is shot down and the pilot is killed and Kennedy’s advisers put pressure on him to attack Cuba but Kennedy delays the attack. He ignores the second letter from Khrushchev and accepts the terms of the first letter. He says that if the Soviet Union doesn’t remove the missiles, then an attack will follow. - 28th October 1962, Khrushchev agrees.

Answer 9

- Soviets removed the missiles - Removal of US missiles from Turkey was kept secret (for 25 years) - War avoided - JFK resisted pressure from advisers to attack - JFK showed that he was a good leader - Khrushchev was removed from power a few years later, many saying he could have done more during the Cuban Missile crisis.

Answer 10

- Soviets negotiated the removal of US middle-range missiles from Turkey - Soviets gained a communist ally close to the USA - Beacon of communism to South America - US promised not to remove Castro - Khrushchev claimed moral high ground for removing the missiles - Claimed his original plan was to remove US missiles from Turkey.

Answer 11

- USA wanted to limit the influence of the Vietcong in peasants in the south. Peasants were moved to other villages controlled by the South Vietnamese army. This failed because: 1. The peasants didn’t want to move and were forced my the Vietnamese army 2. The peasants were angry at having it travel longer distances to reach their rice fields and simply moved back. 3. Some were upset for religious reasons as they believed that it was important to live where their ancestors were buried. 4. The membership of the Vietcong had grown to over 17000 which was 300% increase in two years. It was estimated they controlled 20% of the villages in the south.

Answer 12

- 66 year old monk set himself on fire in protest at the South Vietnamese government. While he burned nuns and monks gave our leaflets calling for Diem’s government to show ‘charity and compassion’ to all religions. - The government’s reaction was to arrest thousands of Buddhist monks - At the beginning of November 1963, Diem was overthrown by a military coup and although the generals promised he could leave the country, they changed their minds and killed him. - It made public opinion against the war efforts as they were supporting a dictatorship.

Answer 13

- Anti-war protests reached a high in 1968-70, led by students and civil rights campaigners. - In the first half of 1968 there were over 100 demonstrations involving 40,000 students. - Frequently these protests involved the burning of the American flag, a criminal offence and a symbol of the rejection of American values. - Mocking chants such as, ‘ Hey LBJ; how many kids did you kill today?’ - In November 1969, almost 700,000 anti war protesters demonstrated in Washington. It was the largest political protest in American history.

Answer 14

- March 1968, a unit of young American soldiers called Charlie Company started a search-and-destroy mission. - They were told that My Lai was a Vietcong headquarters, holding 2990 Viet Cong Guerillas. - They were ordered to destroy all houses, dwellings and livestock and were told all villagers had left for the market as it was a Saturday. - Most were under the impression they were meant to kill everyone in the village. - Early morning of 16th March, Charlie Company arrived in My Lai and in the next few hours, 300-400 civilians were killed. - Most were children, women and old men. Some were killed as they worked the fields while others in their homes. - No Viet Cong were found and only three weapons were recovered. - This operations was kept secret but was leaked to the press and was published in LIFE magazine.