30th November, 2009

POLS 4610
Presentation by Luzayo Nyirongo

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Why did the Soviets feel the need to place missiles in Cuba?
1) Strategic Balance
– The Soviets felt that they had a disadvantage In the strategic balance
during the Cold War in comparison to the US and NATO allies
– Jupiter Missiles in Turkey, and Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles
(IRMBs) in Italy and Britain
– Most threatening; 1600 US strategic bombers and Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile’s (ICBMs) that could strike the Soviet Union from the US
– US had about 5000 warheads, Soviet Union 300 (only 2 or 3 dozen could
hit the US)
– Soviets were surrounded by US military bases
1) US hostility towards Cuba
– The US had been trying to overthrow Castro since 1961
i) Bay of Pigs – invasion of Cuban exiles trained and sponsored by CIA
ii) Operation Mongoose

Solution for Soviets:-

– Do what the US had done in Turkey with Jupiter missiles
– This would protect i) Cuba from US invasion ii) Soviet strategic balance
would be enhanced

How did Cuba respond to the proposal?

– Offer was given in May 1962
– Fidel asked for time to think about the proposal – on the third day Fidel
agreed to the deployment of missiles for the sake of other socialist
countries following Cuba and in respect its ally the Soviet Union and the
communist movement.

Operation Anadyr – code name for operation - 16 nuclear missiles, 40,000 Soviet
troops to be organized, transported, and installed in the span of 4 months
– Operation was done in secret with the use of cargo ships
– As the Soviet ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean, they was being observed
by American U2 spy planes

U-2 spy planes

– 29th August, U2 spy plane took photography over Cuban sites
– US concluded it was a missile site by its similarities to previous
photography taken from Soviet missile sites
– Oct 15th 1962 - the next U2 observation – concluded that the missiles were
Soviet SS4 ballistic missiles – capable of reaching 2000 miles

16th Oct, 1962 – National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC) take photo
evidence to President Kennedy and ExComm

1
What was the US response?
1) Use diplomatic pressure to get the Soviet Union to remove the missiles
2) An air attack on the missiles
3) A full military invasion
4) The naval blockade (quarantine)

19th Oct 1962 – Kennedy meets with the Joint Chiefs of Staff
– Kennedy did not want to take the invasion approach because he feared
the Soviets would retaliate by taking Berlin

22nd October 1962 – Naval blockade is put into effect – US has sufficient evidence
to show the world at a Security Council meeting that took place
– Kennedy publicized the Cuban Missile Crisis to the nation. The world was
on the verge of nuclear war
– US defense was increased.
• Strategic Air Command places nuclear weapons in aircrafts and
submarines ready to be launched at anytime

26th October 1962 – Negotiations to ease the tension began

• Proposal by Kennedy to remove blockade and guarantee not to
attack Cuba as long as Soviets removed missiles from Cuba
• Khrushchev sends a letter of negotiation to Kennedy to offer to
remove missiles if Kennedy keeps promise of removing quarantine
and not invading Cuba

27th October 1962

– ExComm meets to discuss Khrushchev’s letter
– Receive news bulletin stating that the US promises not to attack Cuba,
remove naval quarantine, and remove Jupiter missiles in Turkey
– U-2 plane set for surveillance over Cuba is shot down
– Escalates into more tension
– Robert Kennedy meets with Soviet Ambassador
• US proposes to remove Jupiter missiles, but only if kept secret by
Soviets

28th October 1962

– Khrushchev announces dismantling of missiles in Cuba
– Crisis is over