Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
Bay of Pigs
Kennedy supplies equipment and training for Cuban exiles
Attempted takeover - 1400 men
Castro thinks it is a full invasion
Sends 20000 Cuban troops
Castro captures or kills them all in days
Suggested to Khrushchev that Kennedy was weak
Cuban Revolution
Cuba originally run by Batista, American backed - corrupt and not popular
Fidelity Castro stages coup in 1959 - 3 year guerrilla campaign
Castro takes over American businesses in Cuba
Thousands of Cuban exiles flee to USA
Armament of Cuba by Khrushchev
May 1962 - Khrushchev announces that it’s supplying weapons
July 1962 - Cuba has best army in Latin America
September 1962 - missiles, jet fighters, tanks etc. arrive with Soviet Technicians
11 September - USSR assures America that it won’t turn Cuba into a nuclear missile site
Reasons for putting missiles on Cuba
Missile Gap - America had far more missiles than USSR
Khrushchev wanted to strengthen his position in USSR
USSR anxious to defend Cuba - Communist base in Latin America - Excellent propaganda against America
Kennedy’s options
Do nothing - Missiles would still be there
Surgical air strike - May not take out the targets - USSR could retaliate
Invasion - Take out Castro but would also incur response from Soviets
Diplomatic Pressures - Make the US look weak
Blockade - missiles were already on Cuba
16 October
Kennedy informed of missile build-up
Ex Comm formed
20 October
Kennedy decides to blockade Cuba
22 October
Kennedy announces blockade and orders Soviet Union to withdraw missiles
23 October
Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev
USSR will not observe the blockade
24 October
Blockade begins
Soviet ships turn around very close to the blockade zone
25 October
Progress on missile bases is proceeding rapidly
26 October
Kennedy gets first letter from Khrushchev
Assured that missiles are defensive
Says that he will remove missiles if US drop blockade
27 October
Khrushchev sends another letter - wants no missiles in Turkey
Kennedy responds to first letter only - denies getting second one
28 October
Khrushchev removes missiles from Cuba
