The Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
1
Q
Where was Cuba, and what did this mean for its relationship with the USA?
A
- 90 miles from the mainland of the USA (closest to Florida)
- Due to its proximity, the USA considered it to be in its sphere of influence
2
Q
What was the political situation like in Cuba for most of the 1950s?
A
- Fulgencio Batista was a military dictator, unpopular with Cubans, but popular with Americans
- This was because he allowed Cuba to become their ‘playground’; they had businesses and paid little tax, cheap holiday homes and a lot of casinos
- The USA controlled most of Cuba’s industry and railways
- However, many Cubans lived in absolute poverty
3
Q
What happened in Cuba in 1959? What were some results of this?
A
- Batista was overthrown by Fidel Castro, a socialist in the Cuban Revolution of 1959
- He seemed to genuinely want to help the people of Cuba
- He nationalised American businesses, shut down casinos, confiscated all American property including sugar mills (sugar was Cuba’s main export)
4
Q
What were 3 ways that the USA responded to Castro’s actions?
A
- The USA, at first, threatened to ban the import of Cuban sugar
- They then actually did so, which threatened to bankrupt the Cuban economy
- The USA was aware that Castro had links to communism, and so refused to acknowledge his government
5
Q
What were 3 ways the USSR responded to the situation in Cuba, and what was the USA’s response to this?
A
- Khrushchev offered to buy Cuban sugar
- He sent weapons to Cuba by the end of 1959
- In 1960, he openly promised Cuba military assistance
- As a result, the USA broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in January 1961
6
Q
What were 2 motives behind Khrushchev supporting Cuba?
A
- After failing to reunite Berlin, he was determined to beat Kennedy
- He wanted to deflect criticisms of his failures in the Soviet Union
7
Q
What scheme did Eisenhower authorise at the end of his presidency?
A
- Exiles who had left Cuba when Castro took control would be trained by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to invade Cuba, start a national uprising and overthrow Castro
- The project had a budget of $45 million
- There were about 1500 of them and they called themselves La Brigada 2506
8
Q
List the 4 events of the invasion of Cuba.
A
- 15th April 1961: US planes bombed part of the Cuban airforce
- 16th April: the second wave of bombings was called off by the USA, and the remains of the airforce were able to regroup and fight the next day
- 17th April: La Brigada land at the Bay of Pigs and are met with Castro’s army of 20,000 men
- 19th April: fighting ended with 100 of La Brigada dead, and 1100 imprisoned
9
Q
What happened to the imprisoned members of La Brigada?
A
- They were released in December 1962
- This was after $53 million worth of food and medicine was given to Cuba by American sympathisers
10
Q
What were 4 reasons why the attempted invasion of Cuba failed?
A
- The CIA were relying on Cubans joining La Brigada to overthrow Castro, but he was actually very popular
- Castro was aware that the invasion was imminent as the plans had been overheard in Miami
- Air support was crucial as the ships of La Brigada were sunk by Cuban planes, but the USA did not go ahead with the second wave of bombings
- The Cuban army was also superior when it came to leadership, arms and organisation
11
Q
List 6 consequences of the failed invasion of Cuba.
A
- Although Castro had been losing support before the invasion due to the severe economic situation, this was no longer the case as the threat of the USA united the Cuban people
- The failure of the invasion was embarrassing for Kennedy
- Kennedy set up Operation Mongoose, secret operations by the CIA to remove Castro
- The USA lost support in Latin America
- In late 1961 Castro declared his conversion to communism
- Soviet military advisors and combat units were also stationed in Cuba
12
Q
When did military build-up in Cuba reach a breaking point, and why?
A
- Throughout 1962 Khrushchev kept sending supplies to Cuba
- In September Soviet technicians began setting up ballistic missiles (both intermediate range and surface to air missiles)
- Khrushchev was able to claim these were defensive
- On 14th October a U-2 spy plane took photographs showing that Soviet intermediate range ballistic missiles were being built
- They were estimated to be able to operational by November
- These IRBMs were capable of hitting almost all US cities
13
Q
What were the 5 options Kennedy and his advisors discussed after learning about military build-up in Cuba?
A
- Bomb Cuba and the USSR using nuclear missiles
- Invade Cuba
- Destroy the missile bases using air strikes
- Blockade Cuba
- Do nothing
14
Q
What were 5 things Kennedy decided to do about Cuba in October?
A
- Place a naval blockade around it, stretching for 3,300 km
- Kennedy told Khrushchev that the Soviet convoy approaching Cuba would be searched, and if it contained offensive military equipment, it would not be allowed to pass
- Polaris submarines (each could be armed with up to 16 nuclear missiles), 156 ICBMs and hundreds of thousands of soldiers were made ready for combat
- Airforce bombers were on patrol
- On 22nd October Kennedy addressed the country
15
Q
What happened on the 4 main dates of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A
- 24th October: 18 Soviet ships approaching Cuba turn around to avoid confrontation, and Kennedy said unless all the missiles were removed, Cuba would be invaded
- 26th October: Khrushchev sent Kennedy a letter saying the missiles would be removed if the blockade was ended and he promised not to invade Cuba
- 27th October: Khrushchev sent a tougher letter, saying he would remove the missiles if the ones in Turkey were removed as well. A U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba by a Soviet missile
- 28th October: Kennedy ignored the second letter and accepted the terms of the first. He added if he did not receive a positive answer by the following day, he would invade Cuba. Khrushchev accepted.
