Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 1

Strategic importance of Cuba to the USA

Answer 1

Havana was a centre of commerce and culture in the 19th century of the caribbean. [Strategic] It also produced large amounts of sugar and tobacco, which was in high demand. [Economic] Apart from these, Cuba is of great importance to whoever who wanted to control the region

Question 2

Monroe doctrine

Answer 2

A policy introduced by the Americans in 1823 that any attempt by European countries to interfere or colonize the Americas would be seen as an act of war.

Question 3

Spanish-American war

Answer 3

Pre-1898, Cuba had fought 3 wars for freedom against the spanish. Towards the end of the fighting, the Americans intervened, resulting in an American victory and the establishment of a Pro-American government

Question 4

Safeguarding US economic interest in Cuba

Answer 4

After the pro-american government was set up, many American companies came and invested heavily in Cuba’s sugar and tobacco produce. They bought land to set up plantations and factories. By 1926, American companies owned 60% of the Cuban sugar industry.

Question 5

De facto proconsul

Answer 5

An administrator of an occupied territory, exercising power without being legally or officially appointed.(American Ambassadors to Cuba often played this role)

Question 6

Fulgencio Batista

Answer 6

The last puppet president (had ties and supported the US) before Castro. Often rememberd as a corrupted despot who often used violent means against enemies of his regime.

Question 7

Cuban Revolution (1956-1959)

Answer 7

Having witnessed Batista’s rule, Fidel Castro and a group of Cuban exiles returned to Cuba and fought a guerilla war against Batista.
They eventually prevailed and Batista fled the country in 1959

Question 8

Fidel Castro

Answer 8

Son to a wealthy farmer in Cuba, Castro studied law in his earlier years. A charismatic and intelligent man, he became one of the most prominent figures in the Cuban nationalist movement after graduating. He was responsible for Cuban’s alignment towards communism and the Soviet Union.

Question 9

New markets for Sugar

Answer 9

In an effort to stop being so heavily reliant on US Sugar Quota and reduce economic dependency on the Americans, Cuba’s minister of Industries, Che Guevara in Egypt contacted Soviet embassy for help. The Soviets commited to buying 0.5 million tons of sugar and promised 1 million tons over 5 yrs. Such close relations with the USSR made the US think of Castro’s regime as being pro-communist.

Question 10

Sugar Quota

Answer 10

A pre-existing deal between Cuba and the US where the US determined amount and price of sugar bought from Cuba.

Question 11

Land Reform Law

Answer 11

Implemented by Castro’s regime that requires large estates to be submitted to the state, for redistribution and/or run as communes – this included foreign-owned estates. The policy was aimed at redistribution of land to solve inequality but also indirectly banned foreigners from owning sugar planations. Such a law was seen as “communist” behaviour, which angered Americans due to their vested interest (e.g. many plantation owners were Americans)

Question 12

Nationalisation of businesses

Answer 12

Nationalisation refers to the act of a government taking over privately owned industries, services or land on behalf of the country. As a response to the Americans reducing the Cuban Sugar Quota (July 1960), Castro nationalised all major American businesses in Cuba in August 1960.

Question 13

Trade embarge imposed by Americans (1960)

Answer 13

The USA placed an embargo (placing of economic restrictions on a country to stop its foreign trade) on American exports to Cuba on everything except food and medicine. The exception was to show that the embargo was on Cuban political leadership, and not the Cuban people. However, it was ineffective as the Soviets stepped in to fill in the economic shoes.

Question 14

Castro’s visit to Harlem

Answer 14

Castro had a personal friendship with Khruschev, this strongly displeased the Americans. When Castro was in New York for a UN conference, he stayed in a hotel in Harlem, where he was visited by Khruschev. Harlem was populated by African-Americans, who were the subject of discriminatory policies. Castro’s decision to stay at Harlem was also perceived as a sign of demonstration against US (and its domestic policies), ultimately creating an impression of being closely aligned with the USSR.

Question 15

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Answer 15

The plan called for an initial air strike to wipe out Castro’s small air force, followed by the amphibious landing of 1,400 Cuban expatriates at the Bay of Pigs, an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones on the southern coastline of Cuba. The CIA trained up Cuban exiles in Guatemala to overthrow Castro. The exiles landed on the Bay of Pigs on 17 April 1961, but plans were foiled due to various reasons like the weather (foggy and strong winds); the fact that Castro was pre-empted (New York Times reported US plans ahead of time) and Kennedy’s pull out as the CIA-backed pilots & planes were identified (they were suppose to mask as Cuban exile fighters).

Question 16

Operation Mongoose

Answer 16

The US post-bay of pigs still wanted to depose Castro, so the CIA came up with Operation Mongoose (authorised november 1961) which consisted of various intelligence operations such as assassination attempts on key Cuban leadership and sabotaging of important Cuban industries.

Question 17

Cuba’s formal association with the Soviet Union

Answer 17

After Bay of Pigs, Castro started looking for allies. Originally not a declared communist, Castro aligned himself with the Marxist-Leninist doctrine in through a public declaration in December 1961 so as to better protect Cuba’s interest.

Question 18

Bargaining chip

Answer 18

The Soviet establishment of missile sites in Cuba (beginning 4 Oct 1962) was seen as an attempt as gaining political leverage against the Americans. The USSR was to use it as a bargaining chip, to demanding for US removal of Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy and gain concessions regarding the status of West Berlin and its integration into the Communist East. For Cubans, the missile sites serves as a form of protection, having experience the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Question 19

Satellite images of missile sites (14 Oct 1962)

Answer 19

A spy plane took photos of a missile launch site in Cuba. When questioned, Soviet Ambassador in Washington, Anatoly F. Dobrynin retorted that it was for defensive purposes. On 16 October, Kennedy received a formal report that Soviet nuclear missiles were placed in Cuba and could target America.

Question 20

Mutually Assured Destruction

Answer 20

Mutual assured destruction is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

Question 21

Naval Blockade

Answer 21

On 22 October, Kennedy formally announced the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and US response through a naval blockade around Cuba where the Americans would check every vessel to ensure they did not contain more weapons. He followed this up by mobilising troops in Florida and demanding Khruschev and his leadership remove their missiles. The blockade was a risky but limited move, for it was understood as “an act of war” by many.

Question 22

First letter by Khruschev to Kennedy

Answer 22

Khruschev offered to withdraw the missiles from Cuba in exchange for the USA’s promise not to invade Cuba.

Question 23

Second letter by Khruschev to Kennedy

Answer 23

The lack of an immediate response by the Americans prompted Khruschev to take a harder stance against the Americans, he added a demand that the Americans were to also remove their Jupiter missiles in Turkey.

Question 24

U2 Plane incident (27 Oct 1962)

Answer 24

Though under orders from Moscow not to use nuclear missiles without permission, a Soviet commander stationed in Cuba acted on his own authority and shot down an American U2 spy plane operated by Rudolf Anderson Jr. Both leaders were alarmed at how close they were to nuclear armageddon, and this was possibly the trigger that prompted both of them to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.

Question 25

Kennedy’s Letter to Khruschev (27 Oct 1962)

Answer 25

Kennedy responded that he was willing to remove the Jupiter missiles in Turkey as they were obsolete and unreliable. However, he wanted this part of the deal to go down in secrecy. This was so as to not cause tensions between NATO and America would not be seen bowing down to Russia. He also agreed to publicly declare US non-interference in Cuba, promising not to invade it. Khruschev agreed to these terms on 28 Oct 1962 and the crisis was resolved, with Soviet removal of its missiles (complete 22 Nov 1962).

Question 26

Moscow-Washington hotline

Answer 26

Established after the crisis to facilitate direct, reliable and confidential communication between the superpowers.

Question 27

Limited Test Ban Treaty (5 August 1963)

Answer 27

A treaty to limit the development of nuclear weapons, prohibit the testing of nuclear weapons except underground. Subsequent Strategic Arms Limitations Talk 1(1972) and SALT 2(1979) were organised in the same spirit of preventing nuclear annihilation

Question 28

Brinkmanship

Answer 28

Practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the limits of acceptability to force a desired outcome

Question 29

John F. Kennedy

Answer 29

35th POTUS, best known for averting nuclear war in the CMC in office, he put up a strong front in public while he sought for peaceful solutions and relations with the Soviet Union. He was assasinated in Nov 1963.

Question 30

Robert F. Kennedy

Answer 30

Brother of President JFK, he was sent by JFK to propose the verbal offer of removing the Jupiter missiles to Anatoly Dobrynin so as to leave no paper trail regarding the secret clause in the deal.

Question 31

Nikita Khruschev

Answer 31

Successor to Stalin, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His rule was one of oscillating relations with the West, he was well known for his aggressive attitude, rough language and memorable gestures. Apart from these, he started the ‘De-Stalinization’ of Soviet society and was largely responsible for securing Soviet interest in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Question 32

Anatoly Dobrynin

Answer 32

Soviet Ambassador to the USA during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Together with Robert F. Kennedy, they acted as negotiating proxies for their respective nations, because there was no direct line of communications between Khruschev and JFK.