Kennedy's Persuade And Open Direct Negotiations During The Cuban Missile Crisis

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John F. Kennedy's decision to order a blockade and open direct negotiations during the Cuban Missile Crisis was an effective response because it prevented the US and the Soviet Union into a nuclear war. After the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the unsuccessful assassination of Castro, the Soviets constructed nuclear missile bases in Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a way to prevent Castro from another American invasion. Cuba is close to the United States, which causes a big risk. Source #4 “Map: The Threat of Cuban Missiles,1962” demonstrates how the Soviet missile sites had an intermediate-range ballistic missile of 2000 miles that could destroy half of America. This led JFK to command that the missiles be removed. Kennady addressed Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's actions in a speech. Source #1 JFK Speech to American People, 1962, where he states USSR is posing a dangerous and provocative threat to global peace. Kennedy worked toward a diplomatic settlement. The first step that Kennady took was to order a blockade of Cuba that prevented any new missiles from getting to Cuba. He called it “Quartining”. This was a risky move because the Soviet Union could have taken it as a …show more content…

The Soviet leader sent a letter proposing that the USSR would dismantle its missiles in Cuba if the Americans removed their missile installations in Turkey. Kennady indicated that he would remove U.S. missiles in Turkey and Italy if the Soviets removed their missiles in Cuba. This negotiation was kept “secret and was never mentioned [to] the public.” (Source #2). John F. Kennedy's decisions were effective responses because this was the closest the United States and the Soviet Union had been this close to nuclear war and he prevented it from happening. The results of the Crisis demonstrated how was a more mature and wiser leader, one who had undergone a terrifying test and remained cool and