Cuban Missile Crisis
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Cuban Missile Crisis
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American defeat or victory? |
Willard Cornelius
12/10/2010
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“Imagine, Mr. President, what if we were to present to you such an ultimatum as you have presented to us by your actions” (Soviet Archives Exhibit). This opening line of a letter written from Khrushchev to John F. Kennedy shows the feelings of the Soviet Union at the time of October 24, 1962 towards America. Following the end of World War II, the Soviet Union was placed in the spotlight. The Cold War ensued between America and the Soviet Union. One of the major events of the Cold War was that which happened in 1962, on a small island just off of the coast of America.
The island of Cuba has been under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro since 1959. Fidel Castro is considered to be a Marxist, and that is why it is no surprise that Fidel found a friend in the leader of the Soviet Union. After obtaining Fidel Castro's approval, the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to build missile installations in Cuba. On October 16, President John Kennedy was shown reconnaissance photographs of Soviet missile installations under construction in Cuba. After seven days of guarded and intense debate in the United States administration, during which Soviet diplomats denied that installations for offensive missiles were being built in Cuba, President Kennedy, in a televised address on October 22, announced the discovery of the installations and proclaimed that any nuclear missile attack from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union and would be responded to accordingly (Soviet Archives Exhibit). He also imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of offensive military weapons from arriving there.
President Kennedy's first reaction to the information about the missiles in Cuba was to call a meeting to discuss what should be done. Robert S McNamara, Secretary of State for Defense, suggested the formation of the Executive Committee...
Cuban Missile Crisis
|
American defeat or victory? |
Willard Cornelius
12/10/2010
|
“Imagine, Mr. President, what if we were to present to you such an ultimatum as you have presented to us by your actions” (Soviet Archives Exhibit). This opening line of a letter written from Khrushchev to John F. Kennedy shows the feelings of the Soviet Union at the time of October 24, 1962 towards America. Following the end of World War II, the Soviet Union was placed in the spotlight. The Cold War ensued between America and the Soviet Union. One of the major events of the Cold War was that which happened in 1962, on a small island just off of the coast of America.
The island of Cuba has been under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro since 1959. Fidel Castro is considered to be a Marxist, and that is why it is no surprise that Fidel found a friend in the leader of the Soviet Union. After obtaining Fidel Castro's approval, the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to build missile installations in Cuba. On October 16, President John Kennedy was shown reconnaissance photographs of Soviet missile installations under construction in Cuba. After seven days of guarded and intense debate in the United States administration, during which Soviet diplomats denied that installations for offensive missiles were being built in Cuba, President Kennedy, in a televised address on October 22, announced the discovery of the installations and proclaimed that any nuclear missile attack from Cuba would be regarded as an attack by the Soviet Union and would be responded to accordingly (Soviet Archives Exhibit). He also imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of offensive military weapons from arriving there.
President Kennedy's first reaction to the information about the missiles in Cuba was to call a meeting to discuss what should be done. Robert S McNamara, Secretary of State for Defense, suggested the formation of the Executive Committee...