Cuban Missiles Crisis, 1962
The background in
Cuba; Castro; friendship with USSR;
Kennedy and
the Bay of Pigs; the crisis of 1962
and its results.
As you revise this, you ought to know about
the background to Cuba (including
the Bay of Pigs), the events of the
crisis and its results.
It is worth knowing about this is good detail - make sure
your factual knowledge is secure and extensive.
1. By 1960, superpower tension was at an all
time high:
arms race - both sides
were nuclear testing, and the Americans had recently put ICBMs in Turkey
America was funding anti-Communists in Vietnam,
the U-2 crisis
the failed summit meetings
at Paris (1960) and Vienna (1961)
the Berlin Wall.
2 There were especial problems in Cuba:
In 1959, Fidel Castro took
power in Cuba.
In 1960 he nationalised all American-owned companies.
In retaliation,
the Americans stopped
trading with Cuba.
So Castro made a trade agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba
sent sugar to Russia, in return for oil, machines and money.
Castro became a Communist.
April 1961: the CIA
supported the failed Bay of Pigs invasion
Sept 1961: Castro asked
for (and Russia publicly promised) weapons to defend Cuba against
America.
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Background |
Background of tension - arms race/ U2/
Berlin Wall
In 1959, the Communist Fidel Castro took
power in Cuba.
In 1960 he nationalised all American-owned companies.
In retaliation,
the Americans stopped
trading with Cuba.
So Castro made a trade agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba
sent sugar to Russia, in return for oil, machines and money.
Castro became a Communist.
President Eisenhower told the CIA to
collect, fund and arms a force of Cuban exiles.
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Meat |
The CIA persuaded Kennedy to agree to an
invasion.
17 April 1961, a force of 1500 Cuban exiles was transported to
the Bay of Pigs in Cuba.
The local inhabitants immediately betrayed them
to Castro's forces.
They were easily defeated - by 21 April 1,173
had been taken prisoner. |
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End |
Kennedy was humiliated.
In
Sept 1961: Castro asked
for (and Russia publicly promised) weapons to defend Cuba against America
- this led directly to the Cuban missiles crisis of 1962.
In 1962, America paid $53 million dollars-worth
of food and medicines to ransom the captured soldiers.
The CIA internal report on the failure blamed
CIA ignorance and incompetence - Kennedy never trusted the CIA
again
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Background |
Background of tension - arms race/ U2/
Berlin Wall
In 1959, the Communist Fidel Castro took
power in Cuba.
In 1960 he nationalised all American-owned companies.
In retaliation,
the Americans stopped
trading with Cuba.
So Castro made a trade agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba
sent sugar to Russia, in return for oil, machines and money.
Castro became a Communist.
April 1961: the CIA
supported the failed Bay of Pigs invasion
Sept 1961: Castro asked
for (and Russia publicly promised) weapons to defend Cuba against
America.
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Meat |
14 Oct: an American U-2 spy-plane took pictures of missile
sites being built on Cuba. Kennedy called the National
Security Council, who told him he had 10 days to act.
Some options (e.g. invasion of Cuba) were very dangerous
because they would have caused a World War.
22 Oct:
Kennedy announced on
TV that he was mounting a naval blockade of Cuba.
He said he would not 'shrink from the risk' of world war.
Khrushchev accused him of 'piracy', and promised
a fitting reply to the aggressor.
25 Oct: the first
Russian ship reached the naval
blockade. It was an oil
ship and was allowed through.
All the
other Russian ships turned back.
Secretly, the US
government offered to remove US missiles in Turkey in exchange for those
in Cuba.
26 Oct:
Kennedy was about to authorise an invasion of Cuba.
Then, at 6pm,
Khrushchev sent a telegram offering to dismantle the sites if
Kennedy would lift the blockade and agree not to invade Cuba.
27 Oct:
Before Kennedy could reply, Khrushchev sent another letter,
demanding that Kennedy also dismantle American missile sites in Turkey.
On the same day, a U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba.
War was about to happen. But
Kennedy ignored the U-2 incident AND the second letter.
He offered to lift the blockade and promise not to invade Cuba if
the missile sites were dismantled. He
also offered secretly to dismantle the Turkish missile sites.
28 Oct: Khrushchev
agreed. The crisis
finished.
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End |
20 Nov:
The Turkish missiles sites were
dismantled.
Russian bombers left Cuba, and Kennedy lifted the
naval blockade.
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1
Cuba remained a Communist dictatorship,
and America left it alone.
2
Surprisingly, Kennedy gained prestige.
Although he had lost, it looked as though he had faced
down
the Russians.
3
Surprisingly,
Khrushchev lost prestige
although he had won, it
looked as though he had failed.
Particularly, China broke from Russia.
In 1964, he fell from power.
4
Both sides had had a fright.
They were more careful in future.
The two leaders set up a telephone hotline to talk directly
in a crisis.
5
In 1963, they agreed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Cuba was the start of the
end of the Cold War.
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Revision Focus
This is a Paper 1
topic, so concentrate on learning:
1. WHAT
happened
2. EFFECTS/
Importance
Links
e-book on Cuba.
Online revision sheet
Spidergram:
Cuban Missiles Crisis
An essay:
Describe the events of the Cuba crisis
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Revision Diary