Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 1

Solomon Lo​, ​Ayushi Mittal​, ​Sanika Walimbe​, ​Lawrence Wong

Mrs. Hillesland

AP English Language Navy

1 October 2017

On the Brink of Nuclear War: The Cuban Missile Crisis

For thirteen harrowing days, the world was one step away from nuclear war. The Cuban

Missile Crisis was a fatally direct confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union

during the Cold War. During this crisis, the United States and the USSR engaged in a 13 day

political and military standoff over Cuba’s adoption of nuclear weapons and the US placement of

missiles in Turkey. The president of the United States at the time, John F. Kennedy, attempted a

failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow the dictatorship of Fidel Castro and then created a

naval quarantine around Cuba to make it clear that the United States would utilize their full

military force to prevent a nuclear threat, creating tensions and resentment on both sides. Many

feared that the world was on a brink of a nuclear war, but the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev,

compromised that Cuba would remove their missiles in exchange for the United States to not

invade Cuba, and Kennedy agreed to also secretly remove the U.S’s missiles from Turkey. These

negotiations alleviated the conflicts between the USSR and the United States and changed the

course of history for the better, as a nuclear war would have devastated the world. After

escalating conflicts following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the presence of nuclear ballistic

missiles, cautious negotiations between Kennedy and Khrushchev allowed for the

demilitarization of the conflict, leading to a compromise that prevented a nuclear holocaust.

 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 2

During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies

against the Axis powers and only agreed to an alliance out of the reason that they both despised

the power that their mutual opponents, which were Germany and Italy, had gained. However, the

relationship between the two nations was tense. Americans had long been wary of Soviet

communism, and were concerned about Russian leader Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical country,

believing that their capitalist society was the only way a country should be run. For their part, the

Soviets resented the Americans’ decades-long refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of

the international community as well as their delayed entry into World War II, which resulted in

the deaths of tens of millions of Russians (“Cold”). After the war ended, these grievances

ripened into an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust and enmity.

The conflict began with the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union

during the Cold War. The United States and Soviet Union engaged in war purely because of

militia attacks and conflicting ideologies. The United States advocated for capitalism and a

liberal democracy, while the Soviets were a communist society; it could be argued that the

entirety of the Cold War was just a battle of egos (Bentley). One could look at this from two

perspectives: was the United States justified in trying to stop communism and spread their

definition of “freedom and equality for all,” or was Cuba in the right trying to defend themselves

from what they considered the “bully” that was America by allying with Russia for power?

These conflicting viewpoints were what made the US and USSR oppose each other so much, and

eventually drove the world to the brink of a nuclear war, altering the course of history.

Nevertheless, the effects of the Cold War were apparent when Fidel Castro’s socialist

regime took power and allied with the Soviets in 1959 after the Cuban Revolution, which
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 3

heightened Americans’ fears of the USSR spreading communist ideologies and overpowering

them. Since America needed Cuba, which was only 90 miles away from American shores, to

remain a firm ally for political and strategic reasons, Eisenhower imposed an economic sanction

on Castro’s new government. He used this sanction to threaten Castro with economic failure if he

did not compromise and break ties with the Soviet Union, since Cuba had previously depended

heavily on America to export sugar and cigars. However, Eisenhower’s economic sanction

backfired, since it only increased trade between Cuba and the Soviet in order to make up for

profits that were lost because of the sanction.This brought Cuba and the Soviet Union closer

together and motivated them to cooperate in fighting against the United States, which was now

their common enemy.

In response to Cuba’s new level of cooperation with the Soviet Union, the United States

instigated several conflicts in an effort to remove the Soviet-sympathetic Cuban government

from power. President Kennedy, who recognized how Castro's government couldn't be

influenced through political means, decided to resolve the entire situation by completely

overthrowing and replacing Castro and his Soviet-sympathetic government. Initially, from 1961

to 1963, Kennedy planned to overthrow the Cuban government by ordering the CIA to

assassinate Castro. Using extravagant plans—ranging from exploding cigars to contaminated

diving suits and exploding seashells—the CIA attempted to assassinate Castro in more than five

different attempts between 1961 and 1963 alone (Smith). Kennedy justified these assassination

attempts with the reasoning that Castro’s death would allow him to impose a new government

which would cut ties with the Soviet Union and ally itself with the United States. However, Fidel

Castro miraculously survived every single assassination attempt, forcing the Kennedy to turn to
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 4

more desperate measures. In an effort to end Castro's government once and for all, President

Kennedy gave the approval for the Bay of Pigs invasion, which seemed like a surefire way to

defeat Castro’s government. In this invasion, Kennedy covertly hired 1,400 Cuban exiles from

the United States to wage an all-out war against Castro. However, this plan utterly failed when

Castro defeated the Cuban exiles and exposed Kennedy for ordering such an attack. This failed

invasion also spurred the Cuban government to allow the Soviet Union to place nuclear missiles

in Cuba, playing right into Soviet interests. Premier Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union

during this time, quickly seized this opportunity to stealthily send more than 40 nuclear missiles

to Cuba, which gave them the capability of accurately hitting vital American targets, such as

Washington, D.C., and New York City, while also protecting their fellow communists in Cuba.

The United States quickly learned of the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba,

which ignited heated tensions with the Soviet Union and brought about a nerve-wracking conflict

between these global superpowers that brought the world the closest it has ever been to nuclear

war. After the photographic confirmation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, President Kennedy

immediately placed Cuba under a naval quarantine, where American warships patrolled the sea

around Cuba and threatened to shoot down any Soviet ships or submarines that sailed for Cuba.

In response, Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy in which he stated that Soviet ships would not

submit to these “pirate actions by American ships,” and also threatened that Soviet ships would

be willing to attack American ships in order to defend their maritime rights to sail to Cuba.

Through this letter, Khrushchev's defiance towards Kennedy brought the two global superpowers

in conflict, where both countries pitted their threats against each other in the hope that the other

country would back down first. However, Kennedy remained unfazed by Khrushchev’s threat,
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 5

and American ships continued to threaten Soviet ships in an effort to ultimately force the Soviet

Union to compromise and dismantle their nuclear missiles in Cuba. In a show of force, Kennedy

even ordered American ships to intentionally drop grenades on top of a Soviet nuclear

submarine, in a direct attack against the Soviet Union. Despite knowing the heavy risks that this

quarantine held, the Kennedy knew that it was the only source of leverage that the United States

could place on the Soviet Union while not giving Khrushchev the justification to launch a

nuclear attack. Luckily, the continued quarantine of Cuba eventually forced the Soviet Union to

capitulate, where Cuba’s need for Soviet support obliged Khrushchev to start negotiations with

Kennedy.

Arguably the most critical stage of the crisis, these negotiations between Kennedy and

Khrushchev essentially single-handedly determined the course of history. With the threat of

nuclear war looming over them, the leaders cautiously traded letters over the course of 13 days,

compromising over the placement of nuclear missiles in both Cuba and Turkey. On October 20,

1962, the day Kennedy instituted a naval quarantine, he did not officially state that the

quarantine was a naval blockade since that would be interpreted as a declaration of war against

Cuba (May). Interestingly, subtleties in Kennedy’s words and actions contributed to the

prevention of a full-scale world war; he comprehended the potentially devastating consequences

of sparking war with Cuba and was willing to negotiate with the Soviets before taking such a

drastic action. Two days later, after Kennedy formed the Executive Committee of the National

Security Council to handle the crisis, he penned a letter to Khrushchev, outlining his intent to

avoid “plung[ing] the world into war… which could only result in catastrophic consequences to

the whole world” (“World”). His warning indicated his understanding that the two countries had
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 6

to tread carefully with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, as he was aware of the grave

social, economic, and political consequences of igniting a world war.

Initially, Kennedy’s attempts at resolving the conflict were not well-received by

Khrushchev, who argued that Kennedy was “setting forth an ultimatum” and “no longer

appealing to reason” (“Letter”). As observed in their letters, the two leaders did not agree on

methods of compromise for much of the crisis, with Khrushchev condemning the aggressive

nature of Kennedy’s demands. Their dispute left the conflict at a standstill for days, but

fortunately, the need for negotiation for the good of countries around the world prevailed over

the leaders’ disagreements. If they had remained unable to look past their personal and

ideological differences, nuclear war could have occurred and altered the course of history for the

worse.

In the final days of the crisis, both Kennedy and Khrushchev faced pressure to start war.

On October 26, Castro urged Khrushchev to initiate a nuclear attack against the US in the event

of an American invasion of Cuba, arguing that the Soviets “must never allow circumstances in

which the imperialists could carry out a nuclear first strike against it.” However, contrary to

Castro’s more aggressive outlook on the issue, ​Khrushchev dispatched a message to Kennedy

proposing that he would remove Cuban missiles as long as the US did not invade Cuba. The

following day, the Soviet leader sent another letter this time proposing that in exchange for

dismantling the missiles in Cuba, the US would remove their missiles in Turkey. ​Despite

pressure by the Executive Committee to initiate immediate military action, Kennedy advocated

for a negotiated settlement that conceded to Khrushchev’s demands regarding the placement of

nuclear missiles in Turkey (“World”). Due to the gravity of the situation, both leaders elected to
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 7

proceed with caution, resisting outside influence to make rash decisions that would harm them

and their countries in the long run.​ Publicly, the Kennedy administration accepted the first

message stating that they would respect Cuba’s territorial sovereignty while ignoring the second

message. However, the US leaders privately agreed that they would remove their missiles from

Turkey. The final message was personally delivered by US Attorney General Robert Kennedy to

the Soviet ambassador in Washington, and on October 28, the crisis was over. ​In the end,

Kennedy and Khrushchev’s efforts at maintaining peaceful relations through both an exchange of

letters and resistance to external demands were successful in preventing the escalation of conflict

with compromise that took both sides’ interests in consideration.

Both countries cooled down after the Cuban Missile Crisis. The next year, a direct

telephone hotline connected the US and Soviet leaders in Washington and Moscow, respectively,

which would be used to help quell similar situations (History.com Staff, “CUBAN MISSILE

CRISIS”). With this hotline, several explosive situations were quickly pacified, and thus, it

should be regarded as one of the positive consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In addition,

the superpowers signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty which was their promise not to

supply any other countries with nuclear weapons. However, the Cold War was far from over.

Another legacy of the crisis was that the Soviets were convinced they needed to invest more in

intercontinental ballistic missiles (missiles that could hit the US from Soviet territory).

Other countries were angered. First, Fidel Castro of Cuba accused the Russians of

backing down against the Americans and abandoning the Cuban revolution (History.com Staff,

“The Cuban Missile Crisis comes to an end”). Fortunately for the Cubans, they were protected

from invasion and thus, should be grateful that their country was not destroyed. Second, the
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 8

European allies of the US were angered that although the US took the right steps during the

crisis, they kept Europe in the dark about an issue that could have started atomic war.

Khrushchev's actions could be looked as an embarrassment to the Soviet Union. He was

the one who started the crisis but immediately made propositions to stop the crisis. Thus,

“hard-liners were appalled at Khrushchev’s withdrawal of the weapons,” (History.com Staff,

“The Cuban Missile Crisis comes to an end”). Two years later, Leonid Brezhnev and Aleksei

Kosygin usurped Khrushchev and championed the buildup of the Soviet military. Unfortunately,

the prudent compromise Khrushchev initiated was his downfall.

There were also dissenters within the US. For example, Curtis LeMay, a general of the

Air Force, proposed that the US immediately invaded Cuba and considered the resolution “the

biggest defeat in our nation’s history.” Twenty-five years later, LeMay still believed that the US

should have invaded Cuba and now argued that they “could have gotten the Communists out of

Cuba” as well. It may be easy to argue in hindsight, but it was much wiser of Kennedy to err on

the side of caution and disregard the advice of the belligerent man. In addition, the US created

the Air Force Cross which was first awarded to the pilot Rudolf Anderson who was responsible

for procuring photos of Cuban missiles. Anderson was the only combatant fatality during the

crisis.

For all intents and purposes, the Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most worrisome

times in the history of the world. One wrong decision on either side could have led to nuclear

war and the world as we know it would not even exist. Thus, it was vital that the actions

Kennedy and Khrushchev took were careful and the compromises they made were appealing to

both sides as to prevent what would have been the most destructive conflict ever.
Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 9
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 10

Works Cited

Bentley, Jerry H, and Herbert F. Ziegler. ​Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the

Past​. McGraw-Hill, 2011.

This source gave me information on the Cold War such as ideologies and political

motives. I used this in the background paragraph to help the audience get acquainted

with why exactly the Cold War happened. This is a secondary source as it summarizes

the Cold War, but doesn’t cite first-hand sources.

Castro, Fidel. “Letter to Nikita Khrushchev from Fidel Castro regarding defending Cuban air

space.” Received by Nikita Khrushchev, ​CubaNet Documents​, CubaNet, 11 Oct. 2002,

www.cubanet.org/htdocs/ref/dis/10110201.htm.

This letter sent from Fidel Castro to Nikita Khrushchev provided insight into the tense

diplomatic relations between Cuba and USSR at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Castro’s insistence that Khrushchev initiate nuclear attack, and the Soviet leader’s

subsequent actions that defied Castro, helped me argue that despite external demands to

spark conflict, Khrushchev stood firm in his negotiations, which was critical to resolving

tensions. This source is primary since it is a letter written during the crisis.

“Cold War History.” ​History,​ A&E Television Networks,

www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history​.

This source was used to give more information on the pre-existing tensions between the

USSR and the United States in World War ll and why the Cold War was initiated. I used

this source in the background paragraphs to help give the reader context as to why the

Crisis happened, and the history leading up to it as well. This is a secondary source
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 11

because it gave information on the Cold War, but didn’t have any first hand accounts or

documents present.

History.com Staff. “CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010,

www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis​.

This article summarizes the essential events of the Cuban Missile Crisis from start to

finish. I used this to gain an understanding of the crisis as a whole with a focus on the

events immediately before the resolution. This is a secondary source as it is not a

first-hand account.

History.com Staff. “The Cuban Missile Crisis Comes to an End.” ​History.com​, A&E Television

Networks, 2009,

www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-cuban-missile-crisis-comes-to-an-end​.

This article provides information on the steps taken immediately following the Cuban

Missile Crisis and the effects it had years down the line. It helped me understand that

there are always positive and negative consequences to conflict, or in this case, avoidance

of conflict. For Khrushchev, the compromise led to his deposition and for the world, it

led to the non-proliferation treaty. This is a secondary source as it is not a first-hand

account.

Khrushchev, Nikita. “Letter From Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy.” Received by

John F. Kennedy, ​Office of the Historian​, US Department of State, 24 Oct. 1962,

history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v06/d63.

This letter from Khrushchev to Kennedy was a response to Kennedy’s naval quarantine

on Cuba. I used Khrushchev’s condemnation of the quarantine to demonstrate how the

 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 12

two countries were brought to the brink of conflict due to Kennedy’s action, a

disagreement the leaders had to overcome by considering the potential consequences of

world war. The letter is a primary source since it was sent during the Cuban Missile

Crisis.

Khrushchev, Nikita. “Letter From Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy.” Received by

John F. Kennedy, ​Office of the Historian​, US Department of State, 24 Oct. 1962,

history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v06/d63.

In this letter, Nikita Khrushchev writes to John F. Kennedy to protest the American naval

blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I used this letter to show how the

Soviet Union refused to compromise in the face of American aggression, even though it

escalated tensions with the United States. This letter is a primary source because it was

written during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

LeMay, Curtis. “LeMay and Kennedy Argue Over Cuban Missile Crisis.” 19 Oct. 1962.

This source was used to offer a different perspective on the Cuban Missile Crisis. The

mass public would probably approve and commend the way Kennedy handled the crisis,

but LeMay was a strong dissenter. He believed that the US should have went on the

offensive as to prevent the Soviets from advancing in Berlin. This is a primary source as

it is a recording of Kennedy and LeMay themselves discussing the crisis.

May, Ernest. “John F Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.” ​BBC History​, British

Broadcasting Corporation, 18 Nov. 2013,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/kennedy_cuban_missile_01.shtml#thre

e.
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 13

This article, which is a secondary source since it is not a first-hand account of the crisis,

provided information about the naval quarantine Kennedy instituted against Cuba.

Specifically, I utilized the explanation in the article about why Kennedy did not state that

the naval quarantine was a blockade to demonstrate how his choice in words essentially

prevented the escalation of conflict to a certain extent and allowed for negotiations to

continue.

Smith, Alexander. "Fidel Castro: The CIA's 7 Most Bizarre Assassination Attempts."

NBCNews.com​, NBCUniversal News Group, 28 Nov. 2016,

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/fidel-castros-death/fidel-castro-cia-s-7-most-bizarre-

assassination-attempts-n688951.

This article was written to describe the different techniques that the CIA employed in

their attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. I used this source to show how numerous and

extravagant these plants were, in order to describe President Kennedy’s plans to replace

Fidel Castro with another leader. This source is a secondary source because it was written

many years later, and comments on events that have happened in the past.

“The World on the Brink: Thirteen Days in October 1962.” ​John F. Kennedy Presidential

Library and Museum,​ John F. Kennedy Library Foundation,

http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc/.

This detailed account of what occurred each day in the Cuban Missile Crisis was valuable

in discovering how the crisis, especially the negotiations, progressed. The article

summarized the decisions taken by Kennedy and Khrushchev on each day, which I used

to demonstrate how valuable the negotiation process was to alleviate conflict between the
 Lo, Mittal, Walimbe, Wong 14

two countries and describe how Kennedy resisted governmental pressure to take military

action against Cuba and the Soviets. The source is secondary since it uses primary

sources to describe what transpired during the crisis.