Castro's Involvement

Fidel Castro and America had a very bad relationship and Cuba Played a very important role in the crisis. During the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Fidel Castro was the dictator of Cuba. Cuba and America had bad relations, because previous violence between the two nations.      On April 17, 1961, an army of exiles armed with American weapons landed in Cuba with the goal of overthrowing Castro. The army failed, and Castro grew aware of America’s willingness to take him out of power.  Russia was behind in the arms race, so Khrushchev negotiated with Castro to install military installations on Cuba. Castro was almost sure on an American invasion, so he accepted Khrushchev’s offer. Russia didn’t waste any time installing the military installations on Cuba, and had 35 different types of military bases in Cuba. Castro announced that if the America invades, they will use battlefield nukes. When the Soviet’s sent America a letter to come to terms, they said that the missiles will be dismantled if America promises not to invade Cuba. America agreed, and the near nuclear was over (PBS). Cuba played as key role in the crisis, and with the cooperation of Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro, many lives were saved.

Kennedy's Involvement

John F. Kennedy made key decisions in keeping the peace during the missile crisis. First, Kennedy received photos of nuclear sites being installed in Cuba by the Soviet’s. Kennedy met with his advisers to discuss what they were going to do (Kennedy). They decided to set a naval blockade all around Cuba (Utz).  After a week of secrecy, the president announced everything to the public (Kennedy). After six days, America and the Soviet Union came to an agreement. Russia would dismantle the installations in Cuba if America promises not to invade Cuba. There was also a secret part of the agreement that was not revealed for another 25 years. America had to remove their nuclear installations in Turkey.  This crisis was the closest the world has ever been to nuclear war, and it finally ended after 13 days. Kennedy had a huge amount of pressure, but came through and helped stop a nuclear war.

The US Navy's Involvement

During the Cuban Missile crisis, the US navy had a very important job for the United States of America.  President Kennedy decided on deploying a full naval blockade on Cuba (Kennedy). Khrushchev realized that his military had no chance against America’s navy and air force. Admiral Robert L. Dennison was in command of the Atlantic fleet, and started the month long quarantine of Cuba.  The navy intercepted cargo ships and Soviet Submarines in route to Cuba.  US soldiers searched the cargo ships, and there were no tools to make war, so they let it past. Admiral readied the army, air force, marine, and navy for a full invasion of Cuba. The plan was to use the air force to bomb the nuclear sites, disabling the nuclear war heads, followed by an amphibious invasion.  Khrushchev figured he was no match to the United States and its allies, so he looked for a peaceful way out.  Khrushchev made a deal with the US and demanded that the US had to promise not to invade Cuba, and in return the Soviet’s would remove all military installations. Kennedy agreed, and the crisis was over (Utz).

What We Can learn

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world has ever been to a nuclear war. The alert level in the United States was Defcon 2, which means we were fully prepared for a nuclear war. That was the highest alert level the US has ever been on.  Millions of lives were saved from the cooperation of Kennedy and Khrushchev.  It was their awareness that saved lives. They both realized the dangers of nuclear war, and made the right decisions to avoid it.

Works Cited

Central Intelligence Agency. "Featured Story Archive." A Look Back ... Remembering the Cuban Missile Crisis — Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 04 June 2012. https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2007-featured-story-archive/a-look-back-remembering-the-cuban-missile-crisis.html.

Hansen, James H. "Learning From the Past." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 14 Apr. 2007. Web. 4 June 2012. <F:Global studies english final Soviet Deception in the Cuban Missile Crisis — Central Intelligence Agency.mht>.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. "Cuban Missile Crisis." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Web. 04 June 2012. http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Cuban-Missile-Crisis.aspx.

PBS. "Timeline: Post-Revolution Cuba." PBS. PBS, 21 Dec. 2004. Web. 04 June 2012. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/castro/timeline/index.html.

Utz, Curtis. "Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962." Department of the Navy. Department of the Navy, 28 Aug. 2006. Web. 4 June 2012. <F: Global studies English final Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962.mht>.

Distances of Major cities to Cuba

These are how far major cities in America are from Cuba. If the soviets had missiles on Cuba, they had the potential to hit cities with over millions of people within them.

Active Missiles during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

These are the land based missiles that were active during the Cuuban Missile Crisis. America's missiles could fly the farthest out of all of the missiles.