Lecture 10: Cuban Missile War Crisis

Cuban Missile War Crisis was the most traumatic period in the cold war.

DATE USA PREMIER DATE USSR PREMIER

Till 1952 Harry Truman Till 1953 Joseph Stalin
1952 60 (2 terms D.D. Eisenhower
maximum)
1960 1963 John F Kennedy 1953-63 Nikita Khrushchev
(Assassinated in three
years)
1963-1968 Lindon B Johnson 1963 1982 Leonid Brehznev
(Was VP under
Kennedy unusual
succession) (Vasili Arkhipov
man who saved the
world)

KT stands for kilotons. Bunker Busters were used to kill the people in underground bunkers which
were otherwise secure. In New Mexico, the first Atomic bomb called Trinity was tested before
Hiroshima Nagasaki. The one in Hiroshima was of a lower yield because of the transportation
required. The Hiroshima blast killed 80,000 people in 1 second.

Following WW2 USSR also became interested in nuclear weapons. Till now, weapons were 10-20
kilotons. They went on to megaton ranges. They the tested a bomb called mike which was 10
megaton which was an exponential increase. These tests were conducted on Carrabin islands which
cannot be used for anything, due to the radio fallout. USA also constructed BRAVO to be 10
megaton, but due to disproportionate use of lithuanium, it becomes 15 megaton.

USSR now wants to make a bomb which can destroy a whole continent. In 1961 USSE construct a
bomb which may shake tectonic plates. They couldnt even risk testing it on the ground. They
detonated it while it was falling off the plane. It was codenamed The Czar The king bomb. It was
100 megaton, but after safeguards it was 55 megaton. Its mankinds biggest atomic innovation ever
devised. Because they were to use this as propaganda, they videotaped the whole thing. The test
happened from a barren arctic isand Novaya Zemya. The test happened above it. At the explosion
window panes as far as Norway and Sweden were shattered. The sound went around 3 times, and
people in Hawaii were able to see it with their naked eyes. Its mushroom cloud flattened out much
above the atmosphere and could be seen only from space. This was USSRs response to John K
Kennedys challenge. The world was on the verge of lunacy. The island got a blast crater of 40 miles,
despite the bomb not exploding on the ground. Earthquakes on a Richter scale crossed 6. By 1986
The soviets had 2700 czars.

The USA has 5000 nuclear warheads, and USSR has 300, but they have the czar, making the numbers
not matter. USSR also invented something called Small range ballistic missiles which can be fired
across borders, which will carry nuclear weapons. Then they invented MRBM, could be fired into a
neighbouring country. Then you have Intermediate-RBM slightly more powerful. Then there came
the intercontinental range ballistic missile.
At the pressing of a button, an entire continent could disappear. Kennedy comes up with the plan to
detonate a 1 megaton nuclear warhead on their own heads, over Hawaii in the upper atmosphere.
This would create a film of radiation which would make any missile from USSR burn once the enter
this radiation. Scientists warn him against playing with nature, as this may affect the ozone layer, the
magnetosphere, may bring a halt to all communication, but Kennedy decided to take this risk. This
was called Operation Starfish Pride because the radiation was to spread like a starfish. After this
blast, Khrushchev said they did not have any InterContinental BM. This was completely tampering
with nature and the radiation still exists.

VIDEO Testing of the CZAR = all explosions of WW2 multiplied by 10 multiplied by 2700.

Most bombs are transported inside the plane, the czar was so massive that it hide to be tide on the
plane it being almost the size of the engine. Had it been dropped on Washington DC IN 1 second,
10 million people would die. They wanted to try higher megatons, but did not because that
scientifically doesnt kill as many people due to its size.

USA understands that getting this device to their side would be tough for USSR.

VIDEO

The USA even today has a series of military protocol called defcon. Usually it is at Defcon 5 where
USA isnt fighting anywhere, nor are they being attacked. 4 is in situations like today where US
soldiers are involved in fights on international soils, and there is a threat of being attacked Eg USA
fighting in Iraq and Syria. 3 is when there is an attack on the continent Eg 9/11. 2 is the attack is
nuclear this has happened just once, i.e. the CBC. 1 is no coming back USA can launch all its
weapons on entire eastern hemisphere, even on the countries which have nothing to do with the
situation.

VIDEO

The former Soviet Union USSR The black sea had a place where a Nato Ally turkey, and USSR
shared a boundary. In 1962 April when Khrushchev was walking on the black sea coastline at the
USSR side, he got closer to turkey and saw what was happening on the coastline. USA had started
constructing a base here, setting up weapons to nuke the USSR at any time. USA was also trying to
do the same in Italy and Britain. US weapons system were surrounding USSR creating a feeling of
encirclement. These missile being set up were the Jupiter range missiles. This also meant that Turkey
was completely armed for any fight.

Nikita realizes, that USA is totally free of encirclement. The only communist safe haven is Cuba,
with an ally Fidel Castro where Nikita can try and place his own weapons. The USA obviously did
not appreciate these developments in Cuba. So much so, that it tried to back an invasion of cuba by
using those disgruntled with Castro. Cuba isnt too far from Florida. Some Cubans had exiled to
Florida, these people were trained, armed and prepared to attack Cuba as Cuban exiles to
assassinate Castro. This was called the BAY OF PIGS INVASION However, unfortunately for the USA,
this information got leaked from the CIA, and Cuban guards were ready. These rebels were killed
as soon as they reached Cuba, and some Cuban rebels who reached, had letters from CIA giving
consent, making things even worse for USA.
Nikita convinces Castro, that he needed nuclear facilities in Cuba in order to be able to retaliate. He
said this would be advantageous in 2 ways. The balance of power would be restored, and USA would
not attack a country with good nuclear capability. Castro isnt convinced, and says, nukes in Cuba it
may act as antagonistic and USA may attack to take up these weapons. Khrushchev promises air
planes and Russian troops as well, to avoid any attacks on Cuba. Castro agreed. The problem was the
transportation of these nukes to Cuba.

VIDEO

The only option is since Castro has agreed, transportation and troops moving needed to start. USSR
decide, this mission is top secret. This transportation (60 nuclear weapons) in absolute secrecy had a
strategy. They decided to use Cargo ships because USSR sending cargo to Cuba isnt highly
suspicious. The idea is to carry only minimal parts in each ship. The captain and crew are not told
where they are to go, in order to maintain secrecy. In order to reach on the other side, the black sea
nearing Turkey had to be crossed as well. USA fighter planes would take pictures. Then you had to go
from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, where US planes in the UK would take pictures again.

Around 80 ships were sent, and the mission began in June 1962. Each captain was given three
letters, in order to tell them how to traverse the journey. The first was to be opened at the strait of
Bosphorous - which tells them to sail beyond the straits of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic. The third
letter mentioned the final destination Havana, Cuba

The crew is told to carry Antarctic clothing to put the Americans on the wrong track and confuse
them. They are also told to remain under deck at all points of time. Because US fighter planes will
keep taking pictures. However, even pictures that are taken never reach the USA on time, because
America is trusting British intelligence to give in data on time. However, the man heading British
intelligence at that point of time was King Philby.

As the ship sailed past to enter the Atlantic, planes do find pictures or these cargo ships which had
crates with missiles evidently visible. When USSR start heading closer towards the Carrabin, the US
fighter planes go completely overboard. They starting clicking pictures from really close by and
manage to snap dangerous images but it was not clear what was inside these missiles and crates.
The ships land in Cuba, and the offloading begins. Once the weapons come out, it becomes evident
that this was a military cargo. Luckily for USSR - July-august 1962 Cuba had torrential rains hence US
planes wouldnt fly over them. Offloading takes place without US keeping track.

VIDEO

When the US flies over Cuba, they see anti aircraft missile launchers which are clearly there to
protect something.

VIDEO

JFK has a meeting NPIC Chief and Chief of army staff with when he figures this is some real trouble. It
isnt just suspicion.

VIDEO
The US contemplate a Naval blockade of Cuba. They dont want to take any action because the
soviets have not done anything. They could to use diplomacy, but feared USSRs demands Eg Cuba
v/s Turkey. Any kind of aggression could make USSR attack you easily.

The draw a blockade violates Cubas territorial waters as well. They hope to clock Russian ships, but
there are also 2 submarines Yuri Gagarin and . The USSR has ben told to open fire if USA
attacks. The submarines are told to put off all radio signals, to avoid being detected by USA. Due to
this radio silence, they are not even in touch with Moscow. The last order they get are to open fire. If
in case the two sides reach a compromise, these submarines would still be unaware of the same.
There could still be a HUGE WAR if even one side uses a nuke.

JFK at this point chooses to solve his marital problems in Texas on a vacation. 16 22 August. One
of the leaders of the two deciding forces, was away.