Cuban missile crisis

• The Cuban Revolution


  1959
• The Cuban Revolution


  • Supported by revolutionary Che Gevara
  • Castro seized power from Batista in a coup d'etat
  • Castro took leadership of Cuba in May 1959
• Cuba had been a "rich American's playground", with American companies, clubs and relied on the USA for buying their main crop of sugar
• The USA set up a trade embargo - refusing to buy Cuban sugar, hoping economic hardship would lead to the fall of Castro


  October 1960
• With no support from the USA

  The USSR turned to the USSR for help
• The USSR's involvement


  • Khrushchev offered to buy Cuban sugar
  • The USSR sent conventional military weapons to Cuba in the end of 1959
  • Khrushchev promised further military assistance to Cuba
• Castro was now allied to the USSR
• Bay of Pigs


  1961
• The USA withdrew diplomatic ties with Cuba from January 1961
• Invasion of Cuba

  1. Exiles trained in the USA under Eisenhower's administration

  2. Kennedy accepted the scheme when he became President in 1961

  3. Exiles trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Florida and Guatemala

  4. Known as La Brigada 2506 - 1500 exiles were trained
• The aim of the invasion was to overthrow Castro by a national uprising being initiated by the exiled men
• Invasion of Cuba

  1. Began on 15 April to bomb Cuban airforce

  2. Lost impetus and did not bomb the next day

  3. When La Brigada landed at the Bay of Pigs on 17 April, 20 000 Cuban forces were waiting for them

  4. 100 were killed; 1100 imprisoned after 2 days of fighting
• 14 October


  U-2 Spy plane saw intermediate range missile bases being built in Cuba – believed they would be operational by November. These IRBM could hit almost every city in the United States and so be a threat to national security
• 13 days of tension – Cuba


  US set up a naval blockade to prevent the missiles being brought to Cuba. The blockade went 3,300 km around Cuba. Fleet of Polaris submarines were made ready for use and 156 ICBMs made ready for combat. Airforce bombers patrolled the area; ground troops were on standby
• 22 October


  Kennedy makes clear in television address that the USA will stand firm. Khrushchev was informed that any ships sailing to Cuba would be stopped; if carrying offensive military equipment, they would be asked to turn round and go back to the USSR.
• 24 October


  18 Soviet ships approaching Cuba turned around to avoid confrontation with the Quarantine. Kennedy now demanded the removal of all missiles from Cuba – failure to do so could result in US invasion of Cuba
• 26 October 


  Khrushchev sends a letter saying they will remove the missiles if the US promise not to invade
• 27 October


  second letter from Khrushchev – tougher tone – Would remove missiles from Cuba in return for USSR removing their missiles from Turkey. U-2 spy plane shot down over Cuba by a Soviet missile. Crisis deepens
• 28 October


  Kennedy follows the suggestion of his brother – he ignores the second letter and accepts the conditions of the first letter. He gave the deadline of 29 October to guarantee the US did not invade Cuba. Khrushchev accepted. As a more secret part of the deal, Kennedy agreed to remove missiles from Turkey but a few months later.
• Almost led to nuclear war through policy of brinkmanship between Kennedy and Khrushchev.
• Consequently, the real fear of nuclear war meant decisions were made as a result of the CMC to reduce tension and prevent future “hot spots” and the threat of nuclear war. As delay in communication, and misunderstanding each other’s actions may increase tension, a Hotline was established between the White House in the USA and the Kremlin in the USSR from 1963
• To further demonstrate fear of escalation of the nuclear arm’s race, leaders of the USA and USSR signed a number of treaties between 1963 and 1969 to limit nuclear testing and development of nuclear weaponry eg Limited Test Ban Treaty in August 1963; Outer Space Treaty in 1967 and Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1968. SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) began in 1969 so beginning a period of détente in the Cold War
• Kennedy was viewed as a great statesman – he looked as he had brought the world back from the brink of war – the deal about missiles being removed from Turkey was not made public until later. This looked promising following the Berlin Crisis and Bay of Pigs fiasco. Yet many hardliners still saw Castro as a communist close to the USSR – this had not been resolved.
• Khrushchev – felt he had saved Cuba from invasion; missiles had been removed from Turkey BUT this marked the end of his popularity. Viewed as weak he was removed from power by 1964.