Abstract
On 16th October 1962, U.S. President Kennedy and his advisers were informed about the Soviet Union’s installation of nuclear and intermediate-range airborne projectiles in Cuba. By installing these weapons, which signified a new and existential threat to the U.S., the Soviet Union considerably raised the gamble in the nuclear contention between the world powers. The U.S. president held a televised address to publicize that his administration was aware of the illegitimate missiles. The president issued an ultimatum emphasizing the removal of these weapons, proclaiming an American “quarantine” against Cuba to force compliance. While evading confrontational action from the Soviet countermeasure, President Kennedy and his advisory committee tolerated no concession. The U.S. upheld firm restrictions, regardless of Russia’s efforts to link a resolution to extrinsic issues. Russia also reasoned against America’s hostility and breach of international law. In the sensitive 13-day emergency, the Soviets and Americans faced each other directly. The Kennedy government’s response to the Cuban missiles crisis served as the most effective way to prevent further conflict between the two superpowers and international conflict. As a result, the Soviet leadership responded by dismantling the missiles, thus averting an impending cataclysm.
Cuban Missiles Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis describes a historical period whereby the U.S. and Soviet Union were involved in a sensitive 13-day military and political standoff in 1962 (Allison, 2012). The primary reason for this stalemate was directly related to the Soviet Union installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, just a short distance from the U.S. border. During a television address in late 1962, U.S. President John. F. Kennedy informed Americans regarding the presence of the missiles in Cuba and his decision to enact sanctions on this country.
After assuming power in 1959, the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro aligned the country with the Soviet Union (Allison, 2012). As a result, Cuba relied on the Soviets for economic and military support. The Soviets and the U.S. were also involved in the Cold War, a continuous series of mainly economic and political clashes during this period. The two world powers charged into one of their biggest Cold War conflicts on 14th October 1962 (Weldes, 1999). This was after the pilot of an American spy plane who was making a high-altitude pass over Cuba took pictures of a Soviet SS-4 medium-range airborne warhead being installed (Martins, 2018).
President Kennedy was informed about this situation on 16th October. As a result, he called for an advisory meeting comprising the executive committee. For the next two weeks, President Kennedy and his team engaged in a diplomatic crisis of epic magnitudes with their Soviet Union counterparts. The urgency in addressing this issue was based on the nuclear missiles being assembled and set up near the U.S. border, about 90 miles from Florida (Weldes, 1999). The U.S. was worried that if these missiles were launched, they could easily reach their target in its eastern region. If installed and become active, the missiles had the potential to alter the nuclear rivalry complexion between the Soviet Union and the U.S. During this period, the U.S. had dominated nuclear weaponry.
Nikita Khrushchev had staked on establishing nuclear bases in Cuba with the objective to increase the Soviet’s strike ability. For many years, the Soviets had felt threatened by U.S. nuclear weapons from Turkey and Western Europe (Martins, 2018). Therefore, missiles’ deployment in Cuba was an approach to threaten back the U.S. Another reason for the missile crisis was hostile relations between Cuba and the United States. Khrushchev and Castro saw the missiles as a way of preventing further U.S. hostility.
As a result of this Cuban Missiles news, many individuals feared that the world was almost going into nuclear war. Nevertheless, the disaster was evaded when the U.S. and the Soviets reached an agreement. The major challenge facing the two countries was to organize the removal of the nuclear plants without starting a bigger conflict or a nuclear war. President Kennedy sent the U.S. Navy to create a blockade around Cuba to stop the Soviets from delivering extra missiles and military equipment (Fuelling, 2017). The president also issued an ultimatum for the missiles to be removed. Soviet ruler Nikita Khrushchev agreed to get rid of the Cuban missiles with a guarantee that the U.S. would not attack Cuba. Additionally, the U.S. president secretly agreed to take away U.S. missiles from Turkey.
References
Allison, G. (2012). The Cuban missile crisis at 50: lessons for U.S. foreign policy today. Foreign Affairs, 11-16.
Fuelling, C. (2017). To the brink: Turkish and Cuban missiles during the height of the Cold War. International Social Science Review, 93(1), 1-15.
Martins, D. (2018). The Cuban missile crisis and the joint chiefs. Naval War College Review, 71(4), 91-110.
Weldes, J. (1999). Constructing national interests: The United States and the Cuban missile crisis (Vol. 9). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
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