Cuban Missile Crisis U.S.

Documents Name:____________
College:_____________
Document A: Letter from President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev
(Modified)
Washington, October 27, 1962

Dear Mr. Chairman: I have read your letter of Oct. 26th with great care and
welcomed the statement of your desire to seek a prompt solution to the problem. As
I read your letter, the key elements of your proposals...are as follows:
1) You would agree to remove these weapons from Cuba under appropriate United
Nations observation and supervision; and halt the further introduction of such
weapons systems into Cuba.
2) We, on our part, would agree...a) to remove promptly the [blockade] now in
effect and (b) to give assurances against an invasion of Cuba, I am confident that
other nations of the Western Hemisphere would be prepared to do likewise.
There is no reason why we should not be able to complete these arrangements and
announce them to the world within a couple of days. The effect of such a settlement
on easing world tensions would enable us to work toward a more general
arrangement regarding "other armaments", as proposed in your letter.
But the first step, let me emphasize, is the cessation (end) of work on missile sites
in Cuba . . . . The continuation of this threat by linking these problems to the
broader questions of European and world security, would surely [be] a grave risk to
the peace of the world. For this reason I hope we can quickly agree along the lines
outlined in this letter and in your letter of October 26.
Source: Letter from President Kennedy to Chairman Kruschev. New York Times,
Oct 27, 1962, pg. 30.
WHO? WHEN? WHERE?
1. What is Kennedy demanding that the Soviets do?
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2. What is the tone of this letter? Provide a quote to support your claim.
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3. Do you think Kennedy has the upper hand? Why or why not?
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Document B: Message from Attorney General Robert Kennedy to the
Secretary of State
October 30, 1962
At the request of Secretary Rusk, I called Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin to set up a
meeting.
We met at my office and I explained to him the new situation, with our unarmed
planes being shot at when flying over Cuba and how one was shot down and the
pilot died. I made sure to say that this was a very serious issue and that we would
be making certain decisions in the next 24 hours about what we are going to do
about Cuba, if they are going to shoot at our planes, then we are going to shoot
back.
He said that the Cubans were protecting their air space and that we were violating
it, but I replied that we were only flying planes because they (the Soviets) have
been lying to us about missiles in Cuba.
I told him that he better understand the situation and contact his leader, Mr.
Khrushchev. They had misled us, and secretly established missile bases in Cuba
while proclaiming that they were not. I told him that these missile bases had to go
and they had to go right away. And that we had to have a commitment by
tomorrow that they were going to be gone. He should understand that if they did
not remove those bases than we would remove them. If there were going to be dead
Americans, then there will also be dead Russians.
He then asked what offer we were making and I said that the bases had to be
dismantled and all offensive weapons removed from Cuba and in return, if Cuba
and Castro stop their activities in Central and Latin-American countries, we would
agree to keep peace in the Caribbean and not permit an invasion of Cuba.
He then asked about our missiles in Turkey, which I replied we were not in a
position to make a deal, but that NATO could make a decision regarding them.
However, I made it clear that NATO could not make a decision with the position
that the Soviet Union has taken right now. But in four or five months if the Soviet
Union removes its weapons from Cuba, then a decision could be made about NATO
missiles in Turkey and Europe.
I ended the meeting stating that this must be communicated to Mr. Khrushchev
immediately and that we needed a commitment but the next day about the
withdrawal of the missile bases under United Nations supervision otherwise, I said,
there would be drastic consequences.
Source: Message from Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General, to the Secretary of
State, Rusk, about his meeting with the Soviet Ambassador the United States. The
meeting took place on October 30, 1962, after a U.S. plane was shot down flying
over Cuba.
WHO? WHEN? WHERE?

1. What does RFK and the U.S. demand from the Soviets?
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2. What is the tone of this letter? Provide a quote to support your claim.
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3. What does RFK keep alluding to? Use details to support

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Meeting with Soviets

1. You are leaders in the USA, what do you want out of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
And Why?
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2. What do you expect the USSR leaders to want?

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3. What consensus have you reached with the Soviets?

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4. How did the Cuban Missile Crisis actually end? Compare to your agreement
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