Transcript The Cuban Missile Crisis (US strategies of response)

The Cuban Missile Crisis
(U.S. strategies of response)
An Excomm meeting where the heads of state discussed possible strategies to
remove nuclear missiles from Cuba
By John Pusz
The Crisis
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Although the Cuban Missile Crisis lasted for only 14 days it was the most
stressful and uncertain times of the entire Cold War.
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In secret the Soviet government had begun construction of missile sites on the
island of Cuba along with sending Mig fighter jets and IL-28 bombers to
Cuban air bases
These aircraft and missiles had the capacity to deliver nuclear missiles deep
with into the United States, and could hold the Western hemisphere hostage
under Communist control
During surveillance of Cuba using U-2 planes U.S. intelligence identified the
areas where missile sites where being constructed. President Kennedy furious
that the Russians would send nuclear missiles to Cuba under Fidel Castro's
control sent a secret message to the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev
inquiring about the missiles.
Not wanting to raise a panic the president entrusted the highly sensitive
information about the missiles to only his most trusted advisors
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The Crisis continued
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When Khrushchev answered Kennedy's message he blatantly denied that any
missile construction was going on in Cuba
This further worried Kennedy because the U.S. government had physical proof
that silos where being built and the blatant denial by Khrushchev could be
used as a political decoy until construction had been complete
President Kennedy quickly called a meeting of the Executive Committee of the
National Security Council (ExComm) an organization made up of some of his
most trusted advisors and closest confidants to decide on the best course of
action would be to get offensive weaponry out of Cuba
Key Members ExComm
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President John F Kennedy
Attorney General Robert F Kennedy
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
Secretary of State Dean Rusk
McGeorge Bundy (Special Assistant to the President for National
Security)
• General Maxwell Taylor (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
Throughout the course of the two week crisis each member
of the council would express a distinct opinion on what the best course
of action in Cuba would be
President John F Kennedy
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35th President of the United States
Leader of the ExComm meetings
Was a skeptic of military solutions to
political problems and throughout the
meeting tried to avert military
intervention in Cuba at all costs.
Though only political negotiation with
the Soviet Union could prevent the
“final failure” of nuclear war
Attorney General Robert Kennedy
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64th Attorney General of the United States
President Kennedy’s brother and closest
confidant during the meetings
Throughout the meetings was a staunch
supporter of massive air sorties against the
Cuba followed by a massive invasion
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
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8th United States Secretary of Defense
One of the most articulate and outspoken
members of ExComm
Was a supporter of a navel blockade to
keep Soviet ships away from Cuba and
was also in favor of removing Jupiter
missiles from Turkey in order to ease
tensions between the Soviet Union and
NATO
Was against any military action against
the Soviet or Cubans
Secretary of State Dean Rusk
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54th United States Secretary of State
Throughout the ExComm meetings
Rusk supplied invaluable information
on diplomatic policy and Soviet
analysis
Rusk was a supporter the navel
blockade, denounced air strikes and
the seizure of ships that had turned
away from Cuba
Was an advocate however of 24 hour
armed air surveillance of Cuba to
monitor missile construction no matter
what the political cost
McGeorge Bundy
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Special Assistant to the President
for National Security
Supported a blockade of Cuba yet
also supported air strikes of Soviet
facilities in Cuba
Was against removing missiles
from Turkey because he felt it
would divide NATO and weaken
the European from on Communism
General Maxwell Taylor
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5th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff
Represented the opinion of most
top military leaders during the
crisis
Supported air strikes and a full
scale invasion of Cuba
He even suggested using a nuclear
missile in Cuba to safeguard
American military supremacy in
the Caribbean
Exemplified the ideals and policies
President Kennedy was most
suspicious of
U.S. Response to Missile
Construction in Cuba
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After assembling all the ExComm members the committee began to discuss
possible options that would end the nuclear threat to the United States by
removing Soviet missiles from Cuba
Although ExComm was sure that the missile sites where not yet complete they
were still a looming threat. This threat accompanied by the already nuclear
capable bombers the Soviets sent to Cuba made it extremely important the
conflict would end quickly
The ExComm quickly discussed three courses of military action:
1. An air attack on the missiles
2. A full military invasion
3. The naval blockade of Cuba, which was redefined as a more
restrictive quarantine
Air attacks
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The possibility of performing massive air attacks on Soviet missile bases, air
fields and SAM sites was and enticing idea to many ExComm members
Many of the members including the National Security specialists, Joint Chiefs
of Staff and Robert Kennedy felt taking out Soviet installation would be a
quick and effective solution to their problem.
However many of the senior members of the council including the president
feared that air strikes on Cuba would justify Soviet seizures of Berlin and
attacks on other European countries that belonged to NATO including Turkey
Because Western control of Berlin had great physiological importance and
because President Kennedy did not want an escalation that could result in full
scale war the Air Strike option was put on the back burner yet was revisited
many times throughout the ExComm meetings
A Full Military Invasion
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Only a few months earlier a U.S. supported invasion of Cuba by native
refugees had resulted in the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Now the U.S. was faced with
the possibility of a full scale invasion of Cuba
Because the entire country and the world had no idea about the events that
were taking place in Cuba a full scale mobilization of the army which would
have ignited a large public buzz did not sit well with President Kennedy
Still many of his advisors pushed for an invasion as a way to make sure a
problem like the Cuban Missile Crisis would never happen again
President Kennedy who saw the crisis as a political issues and who was
skeptical of military solutions to political problems was openly against an
invasion. He felt it would bring many of the same problems that the U.S.
would have faced if he ordered air strikes
In the upcoming days however after revealing the secret information about
Cuban missiles to the public Kennedy order a large mobilization of troops and
air craft into Florida military bases “Just in Case”
The Naval Blockade of Cuba
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A navel blockade of Cuba cutting them off from needed goods and halting the
shipping of warheads to the island was the option that ExComm adopted
The president favored this option because it had the best chance to end the
conflict peacefully and still assert American authority in the Caribbean and the
Western Hemisphere.
On October 22nd 1962 President Kennedy addressed the country and informed
them of the nuclear missiles which where currently being installed in Cuba. He
also instituted the blockade of Cuba except for ships that were carrying
essential goods such medicine and food
Crisis Rhetoric and Soviet response
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President Kennedy called the blockade of Cuba a restricted quarantine so as
not to ignite further tension. This tweaked rhetoric did not stave off animosity
as the Soviet premier vowed that no Soviet ship would turn around and that
missile construction would continue
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This tense time was without a doubt the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis and
perhaps the entire Cold War with both super powers locked in a staring contest
waiting for the other to blink
Quarantine Effectiveness
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As tensions increased President Kennedy gave the order for all navel
commanders to have direst executive approval before firing on a Soviet ship
approaching the quarantine line
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As the first Soviet ship approached the quarantine line was without a doubt
one of the 10 most important events in World History.
• If the ship proceeded and was fired upon it could spark another World war that
could end in a complete nuclear fallout
• If the ship turned around it would mean that the Soviets would be willing to
compromise and a peaceful solution might be insight .
• Right as the ship came into visual contact with the American battleship
enforcing the quarantine it began to turn around. The Soviets where
willing to negotiate
Negotiations
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The negotiation process of the Cuban Missile Crisis was in essence a chess
game that would decide the balance of power in the world
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The Soviets where willing to remove all missiles from Cuba in exchange for
an American pledge not to invade Cuba and the removal of NATO missiles
from Turkey which where in similar proximity to the Soviet Union as the
missiles in Cuba where to the U.S.
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The U.S. however wanted all offensive weapons including aircraft removed
from Cuban under the inspection of U.N. technicians in exchange for a pledge
not to invade Cuba. Further the U.S. was not willing to publicly “swap”
missiles in Turkey for ones in Cuba as they felt it would break their agreement
with their NATO allies
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The outcome of these negotiations where that Soviet missiles where removed
from Cuba under U.N. supervision while America made a quiet and unofficial
pact with the Soviets to remove their Jupiter missiles from Turkey (they would
compensate Turkey with submarine launched Polaris missiles)
U.S. Leadership
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While most of his advisors had told him to either “bomb Cuba back into the
stone age” or launch a full scale invasion on the island President John F
Kennedy stood fast. He saw the problem of the Soviet missiles in Cuba as a
political issue and took steps to ensure the American publics safety while also
finding a peaceful solution to the crisis. Through JFK’s leadership America
was shepherded through one of its darkest times in history only to come out
unharmed and perhaps closer to negotiating a lasting peace with the Soviet
Union and other communist countries