Kennedy and the Cuba Crisis 1962
· Soviet weapons had been placed in Cuba, following their Communist revolution. This was a massive worry for America who now had enemy missiles right on their doorstep. Kennedy had to deal with this problem in way which would not launch the world into a nuclear war.
Kennedy stated he would have no problem with defensive weaponry in Cuba, but he warned Castro and the Soviets that should they become offensive weapons then there would be huge problems- or as he put it the "gravest issues would arise." But, when a US U2 spy plane found out that Khrushchev had sent soviet missiles to Cuba it became apparent that these were not defensive weapons. A small group was put together called ExComm, experts would discuss what to do and how to resolve this issue.
Kennedy consulted with the bare minimum and put forward the CIA Bay of Pigs plan. This was a massive failure and an embarrassment for Kennedy and his administration. This was a lesson learnt by Kennedy- in the future how would consult more widely. A good start to this was inviting more people to join ExComm.
After the failures of Bay of Pigs, everyone's initial answer was to just bomb Cuba, however there were varying views as to what extent Cuba should be bombed. Some argued for precise, 'surgical' strikes against the missile sites only, others asserted the attack should also take out defensive sites and bombers. Kennedy supported the views of the prior. Then, someone made the link between a surprise attack on Cuba and Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. They argued they were comparable enough to look like hypocrites should they launch the attack. The US wanted to behave better than the Japanese did, as we all know how well their surprise attack turned out.
The idea to publicly announce the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba was put forward. Before this caused too much alarm in the American people, the US would order a blockade, preventing more missiles entering and order that those already there to be removed. It was then decided that should Khruschev refuse to comply within a couple of days, the US would order an air attack against Cuba, followed by an invasion. The idea was that a blockade would give them them time to come to a 'diplomatic solution'. Low level daytime surveillance flights were authorised by Kennedy to keep an eye on missile construction in Cuba. A provisional agreement was made to have U2 planes flying at night using flares, however, vice-president Lyndon warned that using flares could cause the conflict to spiral out of control. Fortunatley, the crisis ended before they were needed.
The tension was at its hight on the 26th of October. They day before war seemed inevitable, Khrushchev put forward the idea of removing missiles from Cuba if Kennedy did not invade Cuba. Just as Kennedy and the rest of ExComm began their discussions Khrushchev sent another message suggesting a compromise. Khrushchev would be willing to remove missiles from Cuba if, in return, Kennedy removed nuclear missiles and other 'offensive means' from Turkey.
This was a controversial topic for Kennedy and his administration. His advisors made the almost unanimous decision to refuse Khrushchev's new condition. They could not be seen as willing to sacrifice their NATO alllie's security just to save themselves. Kennedy himself did not seem convinced. It was during this meeting that news came through that a U2 spy plabe had been shot down and the pilot killed. The US was already on the brink of war and Kennedy could not allow it to go any further. He told Khrushchev he was willing to remove the weapons in Turkey, but not immediatly. He told NATO that no secret agreement had been made as he did not want the US to be seen as submissive against Soviet pressure.
On the 28th Khrushchev agreed to remove his missiles from Cuba. It seemed the crisis was over and, once again, the US and USSR managed to avoid war, despite being on the brink of it.
After the failures of Bay of Pigs, everyone's initial answer was to just bomb Cuba, however there were varying views as to what extent Cuba should be bombed. Some argued for precise, 'surgical' strikes against the missile sites only, others asserted the attack should also take out defensive sites and bombers. Kennedy supported the views of the prior. Then, someone made the link between a surprise attack on Cuba and Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. They argued they were comparable enough to look like hypocrites should they launch the attack. The US wanted to behave better than the Japanese did, as we all know how well their surprise attack turned out.
The idea to publicly announce the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba was put forward. Before this caused too much alarm in the American people, the US would order a blockade, preventing more missiles entering and order that those already there to be removed. It was then decided that should Khruschev refuse to comply within a couple of days, the US would order an air attack against Cuba, followed by an invasion. The idea was that a blockade would give them them time to come to a 'diplomatic solution'. Low level daytime surveillance flights were authorised by Kennedy to keep an eye on missile construction in Cuba. A provisional agreement was made to have U2 planes flying at night using flares, however, vice-president Lyndon warned that using flares could cause the conflict to spiral out of control. Fortunatley, the crisis ended before they were needed.
The tension was at its hight on the 26th of October. They day before war seemed inevitable, Khrushchev put forward the idea of removing missiles from Cuba if Kennedy did not invade Cuba. Just as Kennedy and the rest of ExComm began their discussions Khrushchev sent another message suggesting a compromise. Khrushchev would be willing to remove missiles from Cuba if, in return, Kennedy removed nuclear missiles and other 'offensive means' from Turkey.
This was a controversial topic for Kennedy and his administration. His advisors made the almost unanimous decision to refuse Khrushchev's new condition. They could not be seen as willing to sacrifice their NATO alllie's security just to save themselves. Kennedy himself did not seem convinced. It was during this meeting that news came through that a U2 spy plabe had been shot down and the pilot killed. The US was already on the brink of war and Kennedy could not allow it to go any further. He told Khrushchev he was willing to remove the weapons in Turkey, but not immediatly. He told NATO that no secret agreement had been made as he did not want the US to be seen as submissive against Soviet pressure.
On the 28th Khrushchev agreed to remove his missiles from Cuba. It seemed the crisis was over and, once again, the US and USSR managed to avoid war, despite being on the brink of it.
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