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Cold War: Global War (1955-1963) > Cuban Missile Crisis (S3.12) > Flashcards

Cuban Missile Crisis (S3.12) Flashcards

1
Q

What was the relationship between Cuba and the US before Fidel Castro?

A

Cuban economy had become almost wholly based around supplying sugar to the USA.
> American investors owned 40% of Cuba’s sugar production and 90% of utilities
> Economic dependence on the US kept it in poverty, with high unemployment

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2
Q

What happens in January 1959?

A

Fidel Castro overthrows Batista, completing the Cuban Revolution
> Castro’s talk of neutralism and land reform gives rise to disquiet and discontent

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3
Q

What happens in April 1959?

A

Castro visits the US

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4
Q

What happened on Castro’s visit to the US in April 1959?

A

Castro sought aid and a trade package from the US
> Was unsuccessful, and snubbed by Eisenhower - yet, in May 1959, publicly stated he was not a communist

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5
Q

What were Castro’s alliegances?

A

Cuban nationalist and revolutionary
> Initially not a communist, until the US pushed him into the USSR’s hands

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6
Q

What happens in February 1960?

A

Mikoyan visits Cuba, signing a five-year trade agreement worth $100 million

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7
Q

What happens in May 1960, and how does the US retaliate in the following months?

A

Cuba began openly purchasing arms from the USSR
> US ceases export of oil to the island, which leads Cuba reliant on Soviet crude oil, which the companies in Cuba refuse to refine - Cuba nationalises all three American-owned oil refinieries, with the US imposing economic sanctions and reducing imports of sugar by 95%

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8
Q

What happens in October 1960 between Cuba and the US?

A

Castro responds to US economic aggression by seizing $1 billion worth of US assets
> US places an embargo on all exports to Cuba except for food and medicine

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9
Q

Who is elected in November 1960, and what two events happen in January 1961?

A

John F. Kennedy
> Eisenhower severs all diplomatic relations with Cuba just before JFK is elected.

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10
Q

What happened in April 1961?

A

Bay of Pigs operation

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11
Q

What was the Bay of Pigs operation?

A

The Bay of Pigs was an attempted secret invasion by the US, which was firmly put down by Castro inside three days.
> Unmitigated disaster causing profound humiliation

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12
Q

What were the consequences of the April 1961 Bay of Pigs operation?

A
  • Profound humiliation for the new incumbent JFK
    > Used against him in the later Vienna Summit (June 1961) - ‘he savaged me’ - JFK was then determined to demonstrate his toughness and resolve
    > Confirmed Cuba and the USSR’s fears over US attitudes towards its ‘sphere of influence’
  • Strengthened the revolutionary government, consolidating Castro’s leadership, and acting as propaganda
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13
Q

What happens in June 1961?

A

OPLAN 312, 314 and 316 were formulated
> Planned air strikes and land-based invasions of Cuba
> Intended to come into fruition before the US midterm elections in November 1962

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14
Q

What happens in November 1961?

A

Operation Mongoose
> 33 operation plans for Cuba, including assassinating Castro and burning sugar crops

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15
Q

What happened in March 1962?

A

Operation ‘Quick Kick’

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16
Q

What was Operation ‘Quick Kick’?

A

Operation ‘Quick Kick’ was a US military exercise which simulated a full-scale invasion, staged by US forces in the Caribbean
> 40,000 soliders with air support; a mock invasion, and a shown of force

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17
Q

What effect Operation ‘Quick Kick’ have on Khrushchev and Castro?

A

Convinces the leaders of an impending US invasion of Cuba
> Influences Khrushchev’s decision to heighten his involvement

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18
Q

What happens between April-May 1962?

A

USSR becomes aware that the US had placed Jupiter missiles in Turkey
> Missiles, although outdated, which can reach Moscow in ten minutes

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19
Q

What is non-proliferation?

A

Efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and their technologies, aiming to limit the number of countries and actors possessing such weapons.

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20
Q

What does Khrushchev begin planning in May 1962?

A

Operation Anadyr

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21
Q

What was Operation Anadyr?

A

Khrushchev knew it would take decades to establish parity in the missile gap, and so believed Cuba’s geo-strategical position redressed this
> Could also reduce spending on conventional (and even nuclear) forces and direct these saved resources into consumer industry

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22
Q

What were Khrushchev’s main reasons for Operation Anadyr?

A
  • Strategic balance and parity (by 1960, the US had a 6:1 ICBM advantage)
  • Soviet economic problems (overreliance on conventional forces - way of compensating for weaknesses)
  • Defence of Cuba (US had showed signs of attempts to destabilise the region - Bay of Pigs, Mongoose, OPLAN 312/314/316, Operation Quick Kick)
  • Sino-Soviet split (reassert Soviet communist dominance, also acts as propaganda for world communism/revolutiuonaries in Latin America)
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23
Q

What were the Soviet actions and motivations to place missiles in Cuba?

A
  • Khrushchev was still reeling from the diplomatic embarassment of the Berlin Wall - needed a victory to make amends
  • Khrushchev’s actions in Cuba were a function of the increasing Sino-Soviet split
  • Idealistic motivation; wanted to spread revolution throughout Latin America
  • Wanted to defend Cuba from further US attack
  • Wanted the capacity to fire medium range missiles at the USA
  • Incensed by the deployment of US Jupiter missiles in Turkey
24
Q

What happens on October 14th, 1962?

A

U-2 reconnaissance plane spots USSR missiles in Cuba
> JFK informed on the 16th of October

25
When is the Cuban Missile Crisis?
16th-29th October 1962
26
What happens on the 16th October, 1962?
JFK is informed about the missiles in Cuba > Creates EXCOMM, a group of top government officials and military leaders who advise Kennedy, meeting everyday during the crisis
27
Who was EXCOMM comprised of, and what were the two main groups?
Doves - Rusk, Secretary of State - Bobby Kennedy, Attorney General - McNamara, Secretary of Defense Hawks - Taylor, second-in-command of the US Army - LeMay, Head of SAC (in favour of a military settlement - outraged by eventual negotiations)
28
Who were the key Soviet actors during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Dobrinin, USSR ambassador to the US > From 1962 until the end of the Cold War - Gromyko, USSR foreign minister > Must convince the US that Operation Anadr was a defensive manoeuvre
29
What happens on the 17th October, 1962?
UNSC meets, with the US ambassador condemning the USSR publicly, stating that Cuba was "an accomplice in the communist enterprise of world domination"
30
What happens on October 18th, 1962?
Gromyko, Soviet foreign minister, ensures Kennedy that Soviet Cuban aid has been only for the 'defensive capabilities of Cuba', upholding Operation Anadyr.
30
What happens on October 22nd, 1962?
- US forces go into DEFCON 3 (heightened state of military readiness) - Kennedy announces a 'quarantine zone' around Cuba (breaking international law), declaring action would be taken if Soviet ships enter the zone (Soviet ships were stopped and turned away from Cuba on the same day) - Kennedy begins planning for an immediate invasion of Cuba
30
What happens between October 18th and October 22nd 1962?
Tensions rise, as EXCOMM continues to deliberate on the correct response.
30
What did Kennedy's plan for an immediate invasion of Cuba on the 22nd October, 1962 entail?
- Kennedy begins planning for an immediate invasion of Cuba > 180,000 troops moved into Florida > Nuclear submarines sent to patrol waters around Cuba > Bomber squadrons equipped with nuclear weapons ordered to fly around Cuba
31
What happens on October 23rd, 1962?
- Kennedy recieves a letter from Khrushchev in which states that there is 'serious threat to peace and security of peoples', offering to remove the missiles if the US undertook to respect Cuban sovereignty > This letter takes twelve hours to be recieved and decoded by the US - Kennedy also speaks with Dobrinin
32
What happens on October 24th, 1962?
US military forces move into DEFCON 2 > Soviet ships that reach the quarantine are either stopped or turned around, with the exception of one
33
What happens on October 25th, 1962?
Kennedy sends a letter to Khrushchev placing the responsibility of the crisis on the USSR.
33
What happens on October 26th, 1962?
Khrushchev sends a second letter to JFK proposing to remove his missiles if Kennedy publicly announces never to invade Cuba > Cubans are ordered by Castro to begin firing on low-level reconnaissance plans
33
What happens on October 27th, 1962?
- American U-2 reconnaissance plane is shot down over Cuba, killing the pilot, with another U-2 straying into Soviet airspace, nearly intercepted by Soviet fighters - Kennedy sends Khrushchev a letter stating he will make a non-invasion pledge if Khrushchev removes the missiles from Cuba > Kennedy and EXCOMM strategically ignored certain parts of Khrushchev's two letters, conveying a private assurance to the USSR that the Jupiter missiles in Turkey would be removed, in secret (did not want NATO allies seeing it as a concession to Soviet pressure - instead, NATO was explicitly told no secret agreement had been arranged)
34
What happens on October 28th, 1962?
Khrushchev announces on Radio Moscow (an unmistaken decleration) that he has agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba, in exchange for JFK publicly declaring to never invade Cuba > US secretely begins the process of removing the Jupiter missiles from Turkey
35
What two things effectively defused the crisis?
- Two letters from Khrushchev - Actions of Bobby Kennedy and Rusk, playing a key role in persuading JFK to reach a compromise
36
What happens in the November 1962 mid-term elections?
Democrats are successful.
37
What is the legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis for Cuba?
Cuba remains Communist > Castro infuriated about Khrushchev's decision on the 28th of October > Limits of containment exposed by Castro
37
What is the legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis for America?
Success for JFK > Superior military power - aggressive yet eventually negotiatory stance works > Huge help for the November 1962 mid-term elections, and JFK's own reputation
38
What is the legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis for the Soviets?
Khrushchev's erratic and reactionary nature humiliates himself and the country
39
What is established in June 1963?
A 'hot line' between the White House and the Kremlin > A direct communications line between the two global superpowers
40
What does the Cuban Missile Crisis make clear about US-USSR communication?
CMC made it clear that reliable, direct communications between the two Cold War powers was a necessity > Took the US nearly 12 hours to recieve and decode Khrushchev's initial settlement message on the 23rd of October
41
What is signed in October 1963?
Limited Test Ban Treaty
42
What was the lasting legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis throughout the 1960s and 1970s?
Détente > Easing of relations between the USA and the USSR
42
What is the Limited Test Ban Treaty?
Limited Test Ban Treaty was a treaty banning 'nuclear weapon tests in the atmisphere, outer space and underwater' > Arms control and nuclear non-proliferation were at the top of the agenda for both superpowers > Acted as genuine steps to reducing Cold War tensions
43
Who dies in November 1963?
John F. Kennedy
44
Who becomes President in November 1963?
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ)
45
In what ways was the CMC a triumph for the Soviet Union?
- Cuba remained a communist state, and the US agreed to not attack Cuba in the future - USA removed its missiles from Turkey - Communist state was within ninety miles of the US mainland, succeeding in preserving a communist state in the USA's 'own back yard' - Raised awareness for the need to move towards greater efforts on nuclear arms controls - Confirmed the USSR's commitment to the third world (stance was a relative propaganda victory)
46
In what ways was the CMC a failure for the Soviet Union?
- Crisis was a defeat; USSR had to remove the missiles - Importance of JFK's status as a eorld leader was enhanced; he won the struggle over brinkmanship as Khrushchev withdrew - Crisis strengthened the USA's status in Germany and Europe, strengthening the idea of the US as the defender against communism, further weakening Khrushchev's position in Europe
47
In what ways was the CMC a triumph for for the US?
- Soviet missiles removed from Cuba - US global leadership strengthened, including that of Kennedy - NATO reassured - Secret removal of Jupiter missiles - Diplomacy over military conflict
48
In what ways was the CMC a failure for the US?
- Cuba remained communist, and the US pledged to never invade (public compromise to communism) - Exposed vulnerability - Tensions within NATO

Cold War: Global War (1955-1963) (5 decks)

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