KQ5 - How Effectively Did The USA Contain The Spread Of Commuinism? (The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962) Flashcards
What was the background to the Cuban missile crisis?
-Cuba is a large island just 160km from Florida USA
-Cuba had been an ally of the USA for a long time
-Americans owned most Cuban business
-The USA had a large naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
-Before 1959 Cuba was governed by president Batista an American backed dictator
-But in 1959 after a three year guerilla campaign Fidel Castro overthrough Batista and set up a pro-communist government
How successful was US containment of Cuba? 1959-1961?
1959-61 - frosty relationship but no direct confrontation; Castro nationalised US businesses but allowed USA to keep its naval base and assured Americans living in Cuba they were safe.
Cuba was importing arms from the USSR- American spies knew this
Jan 1961- USA broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba a signal that it was not going to tolerate a Soviet satellite in the US sphere of influence
April 1961- bay of pigs, Kennedy supplied arms, equipment and transport for 1400 Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. The invasion was a disaster. Castro and Kruschev was scornful of Kennedy‘s pathetic attempt to remove communism from Cuba and took the bay of pigs as evidence that the US would not get involved directly in Cuba
What interest did the USSR take in Cuba after the Bay of pigs?
- Soviet arms flooded into Cuba after the bay of pigs.
- In May 1962 the USSR announced publicly that this was going on
-By July 1962, Cuba had the best equipped army in Latin America
-By September 1962 the Cubans had Soviet missiles, petrol boats, tanks radar vans missile erectors jet bombers and fighters and the help of 5000 Soviet technicians
How did the USA respond to Soviet military assistance for Cuba?
- Alarmed by the possibility of Soviet nuclear weapons on Cuba
-September 1962 the CIA told Kennedy USSR would not send nuclear weapons to Cuba too risky and had not done with any other satellite states
-Kennedy warned the USSR he would prevent Cuba becoming a nuclear missile base
-ussr assured the USA they would not put nuclear missiles on Cuba
What did U2 photographs show in October 1962?
- October 1962 a U2 space plane photographed Cuban missile bases which showed that USSR was building nuclear missile sites.
- some sites already had missiles others were awaiting delivery
-expert said the most developed sites could be ready to launch missiles in seven days
-US spy planes also showed that 20 Soviet ships were on the way to Cuba with missiles
- Kennedy was informed 16th of October he formed a special team of advisor called Ex. Comm.
Why did the USSR place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
- Bargain with the US? Kruschev could agree to remove them in return for concessions from the USA.
-test the USA? Kruschev wanted to see how determined the Americans were would Kennedy back down or face up to the USSR?
-Trap the USA? Kruschev wanted the USA to find them and get drawn into a nuclear war.
Get the upper hand in the arms race? Crew wanted to close the missile gap between the USA and USSR missiles on Cuba would make it unlikely the US would launch a first strike on Cuba.
Defend Cuba? the missiles were genuinely there to defend Cuba
What were Kennedy‘s options October 1962?
Do nothing -Soviet missiles on Cuba didn’t matter because USA still had a vastly greater nuclear arsenal than the USSR
Surgical airstrike - to destroy the missile base. on the other hand destruction of all sites could not be guaranteed. Soviet soldiers might be killed and the USSR might retaliate could be seen as immoral by the international community.
Invade Cuba by land and Sea - could get rid of Castro as well as the missiles however Soviet would respond by protecting Cuba or taking their own sphere of influence (West Berlin)
Apply diplomatic pressure - get the UN to intervene would avoid conflict but US could look weak
Impose a naval blockade of Cuba - stop Soviet ships bringing any more military supplies into Cuba and call for them to withdraw what was already there, not direct active war show US was serious put the onus on Khrushchev to make the next move, USSR respond by blocking Berlin
How was the Cuban missile crisis resolved?
- 22nd October: Kennedy announced the blockade and called on the USSR to withdraw its missiles
-23rd October: Khrushchev sent Kennedy a letter saying he did not admit the presence of nuclear missiles on Cuba and will not observe the blockade
-24th October 1962: the first Soviet ships approached the blockade but turned back
-25th October: but work on the Cuban missile bases continued rapidly
-26th October: Kruschev sent another letter to Kennedy saying the missile bases were purely defensive but that if USA could assure the USSR they would not attack Cuba and could lift the blockade then it might be possible to remove or destroy the missiles
-27th October 1962- Khrushchev sent another letter with revised proposals saying that the USSR would withdraw its missiles if the USA withdrew its missiles from Turkey Kennedy did not accept this proposal
-27th October 1962: a US pilot was killed when his U2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba. Kennedy was advised to launch an immediate attack on Cuba but delayed. He told Kruschev that he would accept his original terms but that if USSR did not withdraw an attack would soon follow.
-28th of October 1962: Kruschev agreed to withdraw the missiles
What was the result of the Cuban missile crisis?
-Soviet nuclear missiles were withdrawn (under UN supervision)
-But Cuba remained communist
-Cuba continued to be armed by the USS with conventional weapons
-Kennedy enhanced his reputation he had made Krushchev back down
-Khrushchev also benefited the USSR highlighted his role as a responsible peacemaker
-The successful resolution of the crisis helped to start a thaw in the Cold War with both sides now prepared to take further steps to prevent nuclear war having become so close to it
A permanent hotline was set up between the Kremlin and the White House
1963 the USSR and USA signed a nuclear test ban treaty an important step forward
Kennedy’s success strengthen the belief in the USA that containment of communism was a good strategy much better than a more direct intervention approach
