Cuban Missile Crisis: Difference between revisions
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== Modeling the Crisis == | == Modeling the Crisis == | ||
=Chicken= | ==Chicken== | ||
United States strategies: | United States strategies: | ||
Revision as of 20:22, 26 April 2006
Histroy
- During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was perpetually behind in the arms race. To combat this in May of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev developed the idea of placing nuclear capable intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) in Cuba. Cuba agreed to this plan in the hopes that it would help prevent any further attempts of invasion by the United States, such as the attempt in 1961 at the Bay of Pigs. Once Fidel Castro agreed to this plan, building of the missile installations began in secret.
- The United States began amassing evidence of the Soviet presence in Cuba in the late June of 1962. Reconnaissance photos showed the presence of Soviet air defense missiles in Cuba and Soviet ships containing IL-28 Beagle medium-range bombers bound for Cuba. Definitive proof of the presence of Soviet IRBM’s was not made until October 15th.
- President Kennedy was made aware of the threat on October 16th. In the following week the President, his military advisors, and his Cabinet debated the options open to the United States. Communications were opened with Soviet diplomats, who denied the presence of the missile installations.
- The presence of IRBM’s was announced to the public in a television address by President Kennedy on October 22nd. In this announcement, President Kennedy said that any attack on the United States by Cuba would be considered an attack by the Soviet Union and the United States would respond accordingly. President Kennedy also established a naval quarantine on Cuba, in the hopes of preventing any further weapons shipments from the Soviet Union.
- Prior to the public announcement, United States armed forces were raised to an elevated alert level in the case of Soviet action. On October 20th, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) placed all aircraft on alert status, making all of them ready to take off, fully loaded, within 15 minutes of any Soviet Action. After the President’s announcement on the 22nd, B-52 heavy bombers began a massive air-borne alert, which involved 24 hour flights in the Caribbean and Atlantic regions. Nuclear capable POLARIS subs were also placed in strategic locations surround Cuba. Kennedy hoped that the military presence would prevent any reckless activity on the part of the Soviet Union.
- Communications were exchanged between the two sides on October 23rd and 24th, when Khrushchev sent letters to President Kennedy. The letters spoke of the peaceful intentions of the Soviet Union. Khrushchev stated that the missile installations were there for the purpose of deterrence, not attack. Khrushchev sent another letter on the 26th stating that the Soviet Union would dismantle its missile installations and return them to the Soviet Union in exchange for a United States promise that the U.S. or any of its proxies would not invade Cuba.
- Tension reached their peak on the 27th when a U.S. U-2 surveillance aircraft, piloted by Maj. Rudolf Anderson, Jr. was shot down. This prompted roughly 14,000 Air Force reserves to be called to active duty.
- That day a final letter arrived from Khrushchev suggesting the Soviets would dismantle the missile installations only if the United States would dismantle their missile installations in Turkey. The U.S. administration chose to ignore the second request and agreed not to invade Cuba if the missiles were disarmed.
- On October 28th, the Soviet Government finally agreed to disarm the IRBM’s in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union under United Nations guidelines. Khrushchev also expressed his trust that the U.S. would not invade Cuba. The quarantine of Cuba and increased aerial surveillance continued until October 30th when there was a two day break for U.N. inspectors to visit. Dismantling did not begin until November 2nd and was not complete until November 9th when all 42 missiles and support equipment where shipped back to the Soviet Union.
Modeling the Crisis
Chicken
United States strategies:
1. Naval Blockade: a quarantine of Cuba intended to prevent further shipments of missiles
2. Surgical Air Strike: wipe out missile instalations already present, possibly followed by an invasion
Soviet strategies:
1. Withdrawl of missiles
2. Maintanence of missiles
