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What Was The Turning Point Of The Cuban Missile Crisis

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The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was one of the turning points of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. At that time the two superpowers came close to a nuclear war, where human civilization came very close to being destroyed and Armageddon was a hair's breadth away. The three leaders – JFK, Khrushchev, and Castro - were well aware of their nuclear capability but also took their responsibility to protect their own citizens very seriously, however, the lack of mutual empathy led to the crisis in the first place. This was all due to Kennedy finding out about the shipment and installation of ballistic missiles in Cuba – which if launched would hit the majority of the eastern United States. This meant the US …show more content…

However the most controversial aspect of the CIA was their attempt to assassinate one of the leaders – Castro – apparently planning to involve the use of rifles, poisoned pills or pens, through the Senate church committee investigation in 1975. There have apparently been over 612 documented plots against Castro, eight of which were to assassinate him. However, the director McCone stated he was unaware of any assassination plans for him but is unknown whether President Kennedy was aware also. The CIA was the lead organisation in ‘Operation Mongoose’ and aimed to do what the Bay of Pigs invasion failed to do which was remove Castro as leader and communism in the process just a year before the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred. Showing that the CIA had been associated with the involvement in Cuba and had knowledge of past attempts. The CIA was also involved in the discovery of the missiles in Cuba. At first, the CIA director – John McCone had only suspected that the soviets were deploying missiles in Cuba but after they had dispatched the U-2 plane over Cuba had they realised the severity when reviewing the photos taken which revealed Russian strategic missile sites were being built on the island. This gave Kennedy the proof he needed that the soviets were installing ground-to-ground missiles with nuclear capability on the island. Therefore suggesting that the CIA had …show more content…

However, Armageddon would almost certainly have occurred if both JFK and Khrushchev, hadn’t stopped in their tracks and raced away from the brink in a panic at the foreshadowed doomsday. Each leader played their own role in avoiding Armageddon. President Kennedy had managed to prevent it as he had instigated the conversation with Khrushchev about the removal of nuclear weapons from Cuba which was seen as a secure victory for both sides as now neither the US nor the USSR would be involved with nuclear missiles. As this was thought to be one of President Kennedy's greatest accomplishments was afterwards thought to be this diplomatic ending. Khrushchev played his part as he had reluctantly agreed for the soviets to remove the weapons from the island despite believing that these weapons were Cuba’s last hope for survival in the battle against America. Even though, he had originally intended to have them deployed with Castro in order to threaten nuclear war. Castro on the other hand although agreed to the removal of the nuclear weapons but was not ready to back down and was prepared for war. The CIA also helped avoid it as they had discovered the weapons and told the US, and Kennedy was then able to reach an understanding with Khrushchev to avert a probable nuclear conflict. Yet, had the CIA not orchestrated the Bay of

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The Kennedy administration would give it another try in 1961 and 1962 with Operation Mongoose which would even further put strain on the United States and Cuban relationship. During the one year period Operation Mongoose and the Cuban Missile Crisis would take center stage. It was brought to the attention of the administration by way of a U-2 spy plane that the Soviet Union was supplying materials and constructing nuclear missile sites on the island of Cuba. (Figure 2, Atomic Archive)

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The US government turned the weapons to Cuba immediately. “I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this secret and reckless threat to the world peace” (Doc. A). Even though, it missile site is outside of US, it is still a dangerous nuclear threat to US from SU. Because behind Cuba, its biggest support was Soviet Union.

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President Kennedy then ordered an “air-umbrella” at dawn. This plan demolished the U.S military. Because Kennedy was new in office, he wanted to do the “right thing” and make everyone proud that they voted for him. Unfortunately the CIA had created the plans before Kennedy was in office, and they did not share all of the information with him and manipulated him into approving it. The blame for this failure lies with both Kennedy and the CIA.

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Khrushchev’s time in power is especially known for being the period where the maximum level of tension was exerted between the two superpowers. Indeed, the two times world war III was the closest were the standoff at checkpoint Charlie in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis in 1952, which were conducted during his service as head of the USSR. During the Checkpoint Charlie standoff, several American and Soviet tanks stood 75m away on each side of the border, aiming at each other, for 16 hours, until they, one by one, left the zone. Such tension was repeated during the Cuban Missile crisis, which was due to the implantation of Soviet medium-length ballistic nuclear-warhead missiles in Cuba, within Striking range of the US. They led to the instauration of the Moscow – Washington hotline, often called “red telephone”, which was intended to be used as fast and reliable means for the two powers to share crucial information or to negotiate in the case of an emergency, to manage to avoid the accidental start of a nuclear war.

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1510 Words | 7 Pages

The USSR was to be blamed for the Cuban Missile Crisis to a large extent however the USA was also to be blamed for the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USSR was to be blamed due to their involvement with Cuba and the implementation of the missiles in Cuba including their implementation of resources to influence Cuba to join the USSR political ideology which was communism. However the reason for the USA also being blamed for the Cuban Missile Crisis was their factors and their aggressive policies which increased the tensions between the two superpowers in the Cuba Missile Crisis. Mr Kennedy’s aggressive policies, the blockade implemented by Kennedy as well as getting them involved where it was not necessary. USSR and the USA had many factors they

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This operation was The Bay of Pigs Invasion in which JFK authorized a militia to enter Cuba and attempt a coup d 'état to overthrow Fidel Castro. The communist rule in Cuba knew well in advance of the CIA’s plan, making the attack a complete failure. Inside the museum sits a large portion of what was the Berlin Wall. Although the wall fell in 1989, its construction during Kennedy’s presidency in 1961 nearly started war.

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760 Words | 4 Pages

America, fearing for their own safety, then put a quarantine around Cuba, not allowing any ships with weapons to enter. (Doc D) Tensions were high, with both capitalist and communist nations having the potential to launch a nuclear strike against the other. After some time, the Soviets decided to retreat. They removed their missiles from Cuba and the threat of a nuclear war subsided.

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A large component of the Cold War was the Cuban Missile Crisis; this started when the U.S. attempted to assist the rebel Cubans to defeat the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. The United States failed during the Bay of Pigs invasion by not properly taking out the Cuban Navy and solider as planned. After the attack, Fidel Castro gave a speech stating “Everybody, men and women, young and old, we are all one in this moment of danger. ”(Document H). This attacked caused the people of Cuba to fear what would happen if the U.S.—an omnipotent country of the time—attacked Cuba again.

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After several tense days of negotiation, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for a U.S. promise not to invade Cuba and to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. Significance: The Cuban Missile Crisis was significant because it brought the world close to nuclear war and highlighted the dangers of the arms race. The resolution of the crisis demonstrated the importance of diplomacy and negotiation in preventing conflict between nuclear

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Findings Analysis In 1962 nuclear war seemed inevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. (Source B).America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. Kennedy clearly stated that he is prioritising on the security of the United States and of the southern hemisphere.

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Before Kennedy became president, the CIA had been acting largely unchecked, as their own ruling entity separate from elected officials. Once JFK came to power significant changes to how the CIA were allowed to operate changed. There is clear cut evidence to support the statement that JFK and CIA were not on good terms. In fact, JFK was once quoted by the New York Times saying he wanted “to splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds”, following the failed Bay of Pigs operation. There was also the fact that while the CIA had been working for years to overthrow foreign leaders in places like Iran and Guatemala, Kennedy seemed to be purposely undermining what the CIA were doing by going out a taking a diplomatic standpoint.

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“Since the 1950’s, as part of the Cold War, U.S. and Soviet Military strategy had focused on building nuclear weapons that could be used against each other in a conflict. ”(Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis 22). In this quote it proves that John F. Kennedy’s actions did not lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union had been planning the crisis for a while. They were building the nuclear weapons since the

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1770 Words | 8 Pages

Cheerleading, competitions, and a curse. Bring It On, released in 2000, follows the life of cheer team captain, Torrance Shipman (“Bring It On [2000]). Throughout the movie, she is faced with many difficulties. She believes that she is cursed because she dropped the spirit stick. Torrance has to deal with a team member being injured, boyfriend problems, and worst of all, a cheer rivalry.

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During the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place. It was when two superpowers were close to causing a nuclear war. Its main origin was when the United States invaded Cuba, on April 10, 1961; which is also known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. After the invasion, previous Prime Minister; Fidel Castro of Cuba, was ‘paranoid’ because he felt like America was planning another attack. So in order to protect his nation, he sought military and economic help from the Soviet Union.

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In an attempt to overthrow Castro and prevent the spread of communism throughout Latin America, Kennedy was forced to implement “a watered down plan inherited from the Eisenhower administration” , which involved using CIA trained Cuban rebels to encourage an anti-Castro uprising which would then appear as an internal uprising. This resulted in what historian Theodore Draper described as a “perfect failure” On April 17th 1961, 1500 rebels landed on the Bahia de Cochinos however invaders were swiftly captured or killed and as Kennedy refused to send in USA troops and cancelled a planned air strike in order to feign lack of American involvement, the plan ended in “total humiliating defeat” . Kennedy was enraged that he had signed what he had seen as an “unworkable plan” and that he had “allowed himself to be swept along by sheer bureaucratic momentum” . Despite this he took full responsibility for the failed operation stating in a news conference on March 21st 1961, that while “victory has a hundred fathers, defeat is an orphan” .

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