The Missile Crisis (1962) Flashcards
What ‘flooded’ into Cuba after the Bay of Pigs fiasco?
Soviet arms (armaments - not literal arms)
When did the USSR publicly announce it was supplying Cuba?
July 1962
By September, what sort of weapons and equipment did Cuba have?
- thousands of Soviet missiles
- patrol boats
- radar vans
- jet fighters and bombers
How many Soviet technicians were in Cuba to keep the weapons and equipment functional?
5,000
What was the USA particularly concerned about regarding Cuba?
That the USSR would put nuclear weapons in Cuba
What did JFK tell the USSR on 11 Sep 1962
That he would prevent ‘by whatever means might be necessary’ Cuba becoming a nuclear missile base
How did the USSR respond to JFK’s warning that he would not allow Cuba to become a missile base
The USSR promised they would not put nuclear missiles in Cuba
What triggered the October crisis?
When an American spy plane flew over Cuba and spotted missile sites in Cuba on 14 October 1962
How far away were Cuban missile sites from being able to launch missiles when the American spy planes took photos?
Seven days
As well as missile sites, what else did American spy planes report?
That 20 Soviet ships were heading to Cuba carrying missiles
Why did Khrushchev place missiles in Cuba?
- The Missile Gap (the USA had far more ICBMs AND could hit the USSR with medium ranged missiles from its bases in Turkey and Europe)
- Khrushchev may have wanted to get concessions from JFK (e.g. missiles out of Turkey)
- Khrushchev wanted to defend Cuba - it was in the USA’s sphere of influence and thus was great propaganda for communism/the USSR
What was another phrase used to describe Cuba being in the USA’s sphere of influence?
It was in ‘Uncle Sam’s Backyard’
What options were open to JFK to deal with the crisis?
- Do nothing
- Air strike to destroy the missile bases
- Full scale invasion of Cuba
- Get the UN to sort it out
- Blockade
When did JFK announce a blockade on Cuba?
Monday 22 October 1962 (8 days after the missile sites were first spotted)
How did Khrushchev respond on 23 October ‘62 after JFK had demanded he remove the missiles from Cuba?
Khrushchev wrote a letter to JFK saying Soviet ships would ignore the blockade
When did the blockade begin?
Wed 24 October (two days after it was announced)
What happened when the Soviet ships (which were carrying missiles) reached the blockade on Wed 24 October (the same day the blockade began)
The 20 ships closest to the blockade stopped or turned around
Despite the Soviet ships not attempting to breach the blockade, what was continuing to happen in Cuba?
Work on the missile bases was continuing rapidly
What did JFK receive on Friday 26 October?
A letter from Khrushchev admitting for the first time of the existence of missiles in Cuba and that a resolution could be agreed
What does Khrushchev’s second letter (Sat 27 Oct.) say?
Proposes that missiles will be withdrawn from Cuba if USA removes missiles from Turkey
What complicates matters on 27 October 1962?
An American spy plane is shot down over Cuba and the pilot is killed. JFK is advised to attack Cuba.
How does JFK respond to Khrushchev’s letters?
He ignores the second one (about Turkey) and replies to the first that unless the USSR withdraws, the USA will attack Cuba.
What does Khrushchev’s final reply on Sunday 28 October say?
That the USSR will ‘dismantle’ the ‘offensive weapons’ and ‘return them to the Soviet Union’
