The Cuban Missile CrisisThroughout the history of the United States there have been many important and critical events that have affected the country, but one of the most notable is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. This was one of the most terrifying moments the United States had faced because it was the closest to nuclear war the world had ever seen. Many people feared it was the end, but fortunately, after compromise and negotiations between President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Kita Khrushchev, war was avoided. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe two main causes of this terrifying crisis were Soviet insecurity and fear of Cuban invasion. Khrushchev had always known about the missile chatter between the US and the Soviet Union, he knew that the US had multiple missiles capable of hitting the entire Soviet Union, unlike the Soviet missiles which were only powerful enough to be fired at Europe. This problem made Khrushchev feel insecure and trapped by his enemies, which led to the crisis. The second of the two main causes was Cuba's fear of an invasion by the United States. “Since coming to power in 1959, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro was aware of several attempts by the United States to oust him. The first, was the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by CIA-backed Cuban exiles in 1961. The second, was a U.S. military exercise in 1962. The military conducted a mock invasion of a Caribbean island to overthrow a dictator fictitious man whose name, Orstac, was Castro. written backwards. Additionally, the United States was developing a plan to invade Cuba (Operation Mongoose). The fake invasion and invasion plan were designed to keep Castro nervous. Finally, the CIA had also conducted covert operations throughout Cuba seeking to damage the Castro government. As a result, Castro was convinced that the United States was serious about invading Cuba." (Reflection research from the library) With the feeling of inferiority of the Soviets and Cuba compared to the United States, the crisis began. “Why shouldn't the Soviet Union have the right to do the same as America?” (Library think quest) This quote from Khrushchev begins the idea he conceived of putting missiles in Cuba. To begin proposing his plan to Castro, he promoted the Cuban station chief, Alexander Alexeev, to approve the plan. At first Castro did not reject the idea outright and considered it, but what really pushed him to accept it was the belief that it would be better to risk a major crisis rather than wait for an invasion. At that point Castro and Khrushchev both agreed and this began the most terrifying thirteen days the United States would face. On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy woke up with the usual breakfast and, still in his pajamas, was informed of the advent of photos taken depicting the missiles that Cuba hosted. It had become clear that the Soviets had been deceiving the president for several months; the President immediately took charge and scheduled two meetings for that morning. The photos of the missiles were described by Professor Paul H. Nitze as “extremely serious” and he writes: “From their shape and size the missiles were identified as SS-4s previously seen in May Day parades in Moscow. Their capabilities were known, including the fact that their operational radius for launching nuclear warheads included Washington DC” (Nitze, Cosmos) During immediate meetings that morning the president decidedimmediate action Roger Hilsman writes “The president immediately decided to place Cuba under virtually continuous aerial surveillance. From that point on, there was scarcely an hour of daylight when a U-2 was not seen over some part of Cuba.” (Hilsman, Cuban) On Wednesday, October 17, the ExCom met and began examining what the Soviets' motivations for using the missiles might be. Many questions arose during the meeting, wondering whether the Soviets' motives included using the missiles for a surprise attack similar to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, or that the Soviets believed the United States was about to attack them or the their ally Cuba. Discovering the Soviets' motives was extremely critical because the Soviets at any moment could have used those missiles as a surprise attack. During this time the Soviets did not know that the United States had discovered the missiles, so there had to be utmost secrecy as they tried to figure out what to do next. They went through several ideas on how to handle the very delicate situation going on, some of the strategies they decided on to deal with the crisis were: “Do nothing. The United States should ignore the missiles in Cuba. The United States had military bases in 127 different countries, including Cuba. The United States also had nuclear missiles in several countries neighboring the Soviet Union. It was therefore right that the Soviet Union was allowed to place missiles in Cuba. 2) Negotiate. The United States should offer a deal to the Soviet Union. In exchange for the Soviet Union dismantling its missiles in Cuba, the United States would withdraw its nuclear missiles from Turkey and Italy. 3) Invasion. Send US troops to Cuba to overthrow Castro's government. The missiles could then have been put out of action and the Soviet Union could no longer use Cuba as a military base. 4) Blockade of Cuba. Use the US Navy to prevent military equipment from reaching Cuba from the Soviet Union. 5) Bomb missile bases. Conduct conventional air strikes against missiles and other military targets in Cuba. 6) Nuclear weapons. Use nuclear weapons against Cuba and/or the Soviet Union.” (Spartacus)In discussing these strategies President Kennedy and his advisors had to be very careful and take into consideration how the Soviet Union and Cuba would react to decisions made by the United States. On October 20, after much deliberation and discussion, the president decided a blockade, as described by Mark J. White, writes: “After American officials established their initial positions…, two key debates took place in Excom that led to the decision to blockade Cuba. The first is was the battle between supporters of the air strike and the blockade, in which the later group prevailed.” (White, Cuban) The blockade decision pleased the president because it would begin as a minimal and limited action and would increase pressure on the Soviets as needed, but Kennedy would not finalize his decision until the next day. Two days later the president gave a televised speech about the discovery of the missiles and the steps they would take to resolve the crisis. “In an extraordinarily serious televised speech, President John F. Kennedy announces that US spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. The missile sites under construction but nearing completion housed medium-range missiles capable of hitting numerous US cities United..." (this day in history) In the speech Kennedy gave to the nation, he used the word "quarantine" instead of "lockdown". This suggestion, made by George Ball, Under Secretary of State, was important. A lockdown, asdefined by international treaties, it is an act of war. Quarantine, on the other hand, is simply an attempt to keep something unwanted out of a particular area. In summary, the United States could impose a blockade, but the international community would not consider it an act of war. nuclear weapons with great caution, never upsetting the precarious status quo that ensured they would not be used absent some vital challenge. Our strategic missiles, the President declared, have never been transferred to the territory of any other nation under the cloak of secrecy and deception…this secret, rapid and extraordinary build-up of Communist missile forces – in an area well known for having a special and historic relationship with the United States and the nations of the Western Hemisphere, in violation of Soviet assurances and in defiance of American and hemispheric policy – ​​this sudden and clandestine decision to place strategic weapons for the first time outside of Soviet soil – it is a deliberately proactive and unjustified change to the status quo that cannot be accepted by this country if our courage and commitments are to be trusted again by both friend and foe…. Finally, the President described what he would do about it: first: a rigorous quarantine on all offensive military equipment shipped to Cuba… second: continued and increased close surveillance of Cuba… third: it will be the policy of this nation to consider any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union against the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response against the Soviet Union……. Seventh and finally: I ask President Khrushchev to stop and eliminate this reckless and clandestine, proactive threat to world peace...." (Leighton) After the President's speech many Americans feared for their lives, everyone was terrified at the idea that this would be their last day. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara recalled the historic event, saying, “It was an absolutely beautiful night, as autumn nights are in Washington. I walked out of the President's Oval Office and as I walked out, I thought I might not live to see another Saturday night. "(Shmoop) This was the most terrifying week the United States had experienced, as Americans faced the possibility of a nuclear attack. “For one precarious week in 1962, all Americans got a taste of life in the death row. The Cuban missile crisis represented the most dangerous confrontation in almost fifty years of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.” (George, Armageddon) The crisis scared so many people that they started practicing nuclear drills in public and private schools in case a missile attack occurred, many people in Florida started building shelters and stocking up on canned food and supplies. It was a period frightening for all Americans and greatly changed the world forever. “Perhaps 10 million Americans fled their homes after President Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba and threatened war to remove them. For days, the nervous nation held its breath. In some cities, wary crowds gathered outside appliance stores to get the latest news on television. Elsewhere, citizens carried newly released transistor radios with them to follow the day's events. As anxious civilians listened to the warning of a nuclear attack, troops prepared.