Download HCC: Cuban Missile Crisis "We came very, very close, closer than

HCC: Cuban Missile Crisis
"We came very, very close, closer than we knew at the time."
- Robert McNamara
Introduction
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States of America and the
Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics on October 16-28, 1962, during the height of the Cold
War. It is generally considered that this event is the closest escalation to a nuclear war.
Background
The Cold War is an ideological conflict between by the United States of America and its
allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the communist bloc or Warsaw Pact,
led by the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The United States have been
pursuing policies of containment and rollback, which, as the names suggest, aim to stop the
spread of communism and to actively challenge the status quo. During the 1960s tensions were
running high, as the American public feared the “Domino Effect,” a propaganda that declares
that if one state falls to communism, the rest will fall.
The Cuban Revolution came during this time, which greatly concerned the Americans as
Cuba is in the Western Hemisphere near the US. Fidel Castro, a socialist, then led Cuba.
Newly-elected US President John F. Kennedy led the failed Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow
Castro, followed by the equally disastrous Operation Mongoose.
Meanwhile, the Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union, sensed an opportunity to close the missile gap. That is, the United States has ballistic
missiles in Turkey, Italy, and myriad other places; these missiles allowed the US to launch a
preemptive or preventive strike against the Soviet Union with second strike capability according
to the Triad Doctrine. In contrast, the Soviet Union missile capabilities could not possibly
compare with the United States’ at this time. However, if the USSR were to place missiles in
Cuba, this would close the missile gap, meaning that the USSR could launch a nuclear attack to
the United States just as the United States could launch one to the Soviet Union. Therefore this
was supposedly an effective deterrent against US nuclear blackmail; if one side launches a
nuclear strike, then there would be mutually-assured destruction.
The Crisis
Despite Khrushchev’s initial promise that missiles were not placed in Cuba, the United
States eventually found out. Kennedy ran through a list of options that included air strikes and a
full-scale invasion in CINCLANT OPLAN. However, he finally opted for a “quarantine”
(essentially a blockade) of Cuba. This was the safest option to avoid war.
Tension rose, nonetheless, on October 24, the very first day that the quarantine went
into effect. While sixteen of the nineteen Soviet Cargo ships en route to Cuba reversed their
course, three remained and were nearing the quarantine line. Between two of the ships was
reported a submarine taking position. In response, Kennedy authorized an aircraft carrier to take
any necessary defensive measures against the sub. However, both Soviet ships stopped short
and reversed course, preventing a nuclear exchange.
On October 26, the situation was again in risk when Kennedy told t​he Executive
Committee of the National Security Council​ (ExComm) only an invasion of Cuba could be the
solution to removing missiles. In the afternoon of that day, Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy
offering the removal of missiles in exchange for the US declaring not to invade Cuba. The
following day, Khrushchev sent a second letter. It replaced the initial condition of the US not
invading Cuba to completely removing its Jupiter missiles in Turkey. Eventually, it was decided
that the US would respond only to the first message, entirely ignoring the second one. However,
Attorney General Robert Kennedy privately met with Soviet Ambassador to the US Anatoly
Dobrynin to discuss the terms of the secret withdrawal of the missiles in Turkey.
The crisis eventually came to a close on October 28 with Khrushchev’s public statement
to dismantle the Soviet missiles from Cuba. Shortly after, Castro announced his conditions
generally known as “Castro’s Five Points” to ensure the safety of Cuba from US aggression.
Resolution
On November 20, the quarantine formally ended. Through tense negotiations, the US
and USSR reached an agreement. The United States was to remove missiles from Turkey and
Italy; in return, the USSR would remove missiles from Cuba. In addition, the United States
pledged that it would not invade Cuba without direct provocation. Lastly, a nuclear hotline was
created between the US and USSR.
The sheer possibility of a nuclear holocaust was acutely felt during this crisis, which then
led to the next period of the Cold War: the Thaw. This period was marked by a series of
negotiations between the United States and the USSR in order to reduce tensions.
Points Worth Noting
● A nuclear war came extremely close on October 27 but is told to be prevented by the
Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov. As the American destroyers dropped a grenade-size
practice depth charges over a Soviet sub in an attempt to force them to surface, the
sub’s captain ​Valentin Savitsky ultimately decided to launch a nuclear torpedo. However,
all three votes from senior officers on board were needed. Savitsky got one vote, but
Arkhipov, the person holding the last vote, disagreed. It is believed he talked Savitsky
down. The nuclear torpedo was not launched.
● “Quarantine” was intentionally used instead of blockade for legal purpose as stated by
Office of the Historian that ​“The use of ‘quarantine’ legally distinguished this action from
a blockade, which assumed a state of war existed; the use of “quarantine” instead of
“blockade” also enabled the United States to receive the support of the Organization of
American States.” Essentially, a blockade is against international law, but a “quarantine”
is not.
● The Defense Readiness Condition (DEFCON) of the US Forces was raised to the
second level (​High readiness; armed forces ready to deploy and engage in six hours​),
marking the highest state of readiness the US had achieved in it history.
● Throughout the deepening crisis, the two superpowers attempted to reach an agreement
through a series of Kennedy-Khrushchev letters.