The Cuban Missile Crisis

1. The Cuban Missile Crisis Read Case Study – pp 66 to 85

2. WHAT – In a nutshell This was a cold war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union who had not been on friendly terms since the end of WWII. It all started because of the installation of nuclear warheads; first in Europe by the Americans and then in Cuba by the Soviets

3. WHO – The Main Players John Fitzgerald Kennedy US President Nikita Krushchev President of the Soviet Union Fidel Castro Cuban President Photos are taken from Bing images

4. Other Players Robert Kennedy US Attorney General Robert McNamara US Secretary of Defense 1961-1968 Anatoly Dobrynin Soviet Ambassador to United States

5. WHERE - Countries involved

6. WHY – What had caused the friction in the first place? Monroe Doctrine 1823 any attempt by a European power to control any country in the Western hemisphere would be considered a hostile act against the United States.

7. Spanish American War (1898) after the war, the US refused to withdraw troops from Cuba until Cuba agreed on the following: Cuba could not transfer territory to any country but the US US had the right to intervene in Cuban affairs 1959 – Fidel Castro led a revolution against the US backed leader Batista.

8. 1959 and 1960 – Castro took over all US owned sugar estates and cattle ranches Anti-Castro Cubans fled to US where they carried out US supported protests US refused to sell military equipment to Cuba Soviets agreed to provide equipment 1960 – Castro nationalized American-owned oil refineries Castro continued to nationalize remaining American assets in Cuba 1961 – US ended diplomatic ties with Cuba

9. CIA in US designed invasion of Cuba in 1961 Kennedy agreed Known as Bay of Pigs US used 1500 Cuban exiles as combatants Invasion was a disaster Castro suspected another invasion and sent brother, Raoul, to Moscow Formed alliance with soviets

10. Soviets agreed to provide military support to Cuba Made plans to install missiles intended to carry nuclear warheads in Cuba Americans saw this as a violation of the Monroe Doctrine

11. When – A Timeline 1958 & 1961 – US installs missiles capable of striking Moscow in the UK and Turkey 1959 – Castro seizes power in Cuba 1960 – Castro signs treaty with USSR 1961 – US ends diplomatic relations with Cuba 1961 – US invades Cuba – Bay of Pigs Early July 1962 – Raoul Castro visits Krushchev

12. End of July – USSR begins sending military aid to Cuba Sept. 8, 1962 – Soviet MRBMs (medium range ballistic missile) arrive in Cuba Sept. 13, 1962 – Kennedy threatens Sept. 21, 1962 – CIA reports IRBMs (immediate range ballistic missile)in Cuba Oct. 10, 1962 – Kennedy orders U-2 (not the band) flights over Cuba Oct. 14, 1962 – MRBM and IRBM sites confirmed

13. Confirmed Missile Sites in Cuba http://nsarchive.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/cmc-missile.jpg

14. Oct. 20, 1962 – US sets up blockade around Cuba Oct. 22, 1962 – Kennedy addresses the nationJFK on the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962/10/22 Oct. 24, 1962 – Kruschev orders Soviet ships to halt at the blockade Oct. 26, 1962 – Kruschev's Friday Letter Oct. 27, 1962 – Black Saturday US pilot shot down over Cuba American U2 enters Soviet airspace Kennedy promises to remove missiles from Turkey Kruschev promises to remove missiles from Cuba Oct. 28, 1962 – Kruschev orders work to stop Crisis averted

15. So What? – what effects did the Cuban Missile have? On Soviet-US relations? On US-Cuba relations? On the daily lives of North Americans? YouTube - Duck And Cover - Original 1950 Airing

16. Two sides YouTube - Khrushchev on the Cuban Missile Crisis YouTube - Robert McNamara commentary on the Cuban missile crisis Assignment: Write a paper (one to two pages double spaced) describing what the Cuban Missile Crisis was, who was involved, where, why and when it happened. Look at the commentary by Krushchev’s son and Robert McNamara. What was the difference between the two main combatants’ views of the seriousness of this crisis? Finally, discuss the “so what”. ( Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis an important part of modern history? What was the impact of the crisis at the time? What is the long lasting impact of it?) See next page for some writing suggestions

17. How to write your response Introduction – overview of purpose of paper – i.e. The impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis would be felt for years. Body 1st paragraph – describing what it was, who was involved, where it happened and why it happened 2nd discuss the time line (summary of events) 3rd paragraph – look at the different points of view 4th – answer the so what – why was it important? Conclusion – in one or two sentences, tie it all together.