The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a near-disaster for the United States and the Soviet Union. The crisis occurred as civil war raged in Cuba, with two communist factions fighting to gain control of the country. As tensions rose between the two superpowers, both felt threatened by any escalation in the conflict.
When the Soviet Union began placing nuclear-capable missiles in Cuba, President John F Kennedy responded with a strong warning to remove them or risk an attack on their missile sites.
Overcoming internal and external challenges, Kennedy managed to negotiate a solution that removed both threats while preserving American national security interests. This article explores the background of the crisis and its impact on world affairs.
Cold War and the Origins of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the climax of a period of heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The immediate trigger for the crisis was the placement of nuclear-capable Soviet missiles in Cuba in October 1962. Kennedy responded with a strong warning to remove them or risk an attack on their missile sites.
Overcoming internal and external challenges, Kennedy managed to negotiate a solution that removed both threats while preserving American national security interests. The crisis helped to define the position of the United States as a leader of the anti-communist movement and ultimately led to the negotiation of the Limited Test Ban Treaty, which was signed in 1963 as part of the process to end the Cold War.
The Soviet Union Moves Nuclear Forces to Cuba
On 27 October 1962, the Soviet Union began withdrawing its nuclear-capable ballistic missiles from around the world, including those in Cuba. In response, the United States secretly expanded its naval forces around the Soviet Union’s eastern coastline.
In October, the Russians began leaving their nuclear-capable missiles in Cuba with their nuclear warheads removed. These missiles were of a type the United States had dubbed the “Gemstone” because they were capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
This move alarmed American leaders, who worried that the missiles could be used to launch a devastating attack on the United States. They also worried that the Soviets had put nuclear weapons in Cuba as a deliberate provocation that could lead the United States to attack them. The White House feared that the Soviet move would lead to a nuclear war between the superpowers.
The U.S. and Key Allies Warn Cuba to Withdraw Missiles
In response to the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles to Cuba, the United States and key allies, including Britain, France and Canada, quickly issued a series of diplomatic notes asking the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba. On 2 November, the United States also unilaterally broke diplomatic relations with Cuba to impose an embargo on the island.
At the same time, the Soviet Union warned Washington that it would take “consequences” if the United States attacked Cuba. The U.S. response, while strong, was restrained compared to the Soviet threat and the U.S. leaders did not want a war with the Soviet Union.
For example, the heads of both the military and the State Department were dismissed by Kennedy and replaced with men who had a less antagonistic view of the Soviets.
Kennedy’s “We Cannot Accept a Permanent Castro Regime” Speech
The United States had imposed a complete embargo on all trade with Cuba, meaning that the United States had cut all ties with the island. On 1 November, President John F Kennedy addressed Congress, outlining the reasons for the embargo and the need to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba.
He delivered an emotional speech that highlighted the dangers of the Soviet deployment in Cuba: “For over a year now we have been concerned about the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons in Cuba.
Last month a United States reconnaissance plane spotted what we believe to be nine MRBMs and eight MRBMs. Now if these MRBMs were nuclear-capable, as we assume they are, then the Castro regime has committed an act of war against the United States.”
Final Agreements and Escalation to Combat Balance of Force
The Kennedy administration entered negotiations with the Soviets and intended to remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba. Over the next few months, two agreements were signed to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba. The first agreement, signed on 14 November 1962, removed six medium-range ballistic missiles.
The second agreement, signed on 29 April 1963, removed all eight MRBMs, along with their nuclear warheads. In response to the agreement to remove the MRBMs, the Kennedy administration authorized a naval build-up in the Gulf of Mexico and the final stages of planning for a possible amphibious assault on Cuba to remove the missiles. The build-up was called off when it became clear that the Soviets would remove the missiles regardless of U.S. military action.
The Impact and Lessons Learned from the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis marked a high point in Soviet aggression and was a watershed moment in the Cold War. It also demonstrated the benefits of a strong and united Western alliance against the Soviets and their growing military power. This strengthened the resolve of European allies to resist communist pressure and led directly to the creation of NATO.
Before the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War had been defined by the standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union, with each side possessing enough nuclear weapons to destroy the other’s cities. The Cuban Missile Crisis marked a change like the Cold War, as the superpowers now had enough weapons to destroy each other’s cities.
In the end, negotiations and the threat of force succeeded in removing the nuclear-capable Soviet missiles from Cuba. This preserved American national security interests while preserving Soviet national security interests.
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Cold War and the Origins of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the climax of a period of heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The immediate trigger for the crisis was the placement of nuclear-capable Soviet missiles in Cuba in October 1962. Kennedy responded with a strong warning to remove them or risk an attack on their missile sites.
Overcoming internal and external challenges, Kennedy managed to negotiate a solution that removed both threats while preserving American national security interests. The crisis helped to define the position of the United States as a leader of the anti-communist movement and ultimately led to the negotiation of the Limited Test Ban Treaty, which was signed in 1963 as part of the process to end the Cold War.
The Soviet Union Moves Nuclear Forces to Cuba
On 27 October 1962, the Soviet Union began withdrawing its nuclear-capable ballistic missiles from around the world, including those in Cuba. In response, the United States secretly expanded its naval forces around the Soviet Union’s eastern coastline.
In October, the Russians began leaving their nuclear-capable missiles in Cuba with their nuclear warheads removed. These missiles were of a type the United States had dubbed the “Gemstone” because they were capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
This move alarmed American leaders, who worried that the missiles could be used to launch a devastating attack on the United States. They also worried that the Soviets had put nuclear weapons in Cuba as a deliberate provocation that could lead the United States to attack them. The White House feared that the Soviet move would lead to a nuclear war between the superpowers.
The U.S. and Key Allies Warn Cuba to Withdraw Missiles
In response to the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles to Cuba, the United States and key allies, including Britain, France and Canada, quickly issued a series of diplomatic notes asking the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba. On 2 November, the United States also unilaterally broke diplomatic relations with Cuba to impose an embargo on the island.
At the same time, the Soviet Union warned Washington that it would take “consequences” if the United States attacked Cuba. The U.S. response, while strong, was restrained compared to the Soviet threat and the U.S. leaders did not want a war with the Soviet Union.
For example, the heads of both the military and the State Department were dismissed by Kennedy and replaced with men who had a less antagonistic view of the Soviets.