The Cuban Missile Crisis

Essay by Lou8118High School, 11th gradeA+, March 2005

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The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. The United States armed forces were at their highest state of readiness ever and Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded. Luckily, thanks to two men, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, war was averted.

In 1962, the Soviet Union was desperately behind the United States in the arms race. Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe but U.S. missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba.

Meanwhile, Fidel Castro was looking for a way to defend his island nation from an attack by the U.S. Ever since the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Castro felt a second attack was definatly going to happen.

He approved of Khrushchev's plan to place missiles on the island. In the summer of 1962 the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to build its missile in Cuba.

For the United States, the crisis began on October 15, 1962 when photographs revealed Soviet missiles were under construction in Cuba. Early the next day, President John Kennedy was informed of the missile being built. Kennedy immediately organized the EX-COMM, a group of his twelve most important advisors to handle the crisis. After seven days of intense talks, Kennedy had a naval quarantine around Cuba. He wished to prevent the arrival of more Soviet offensive weapons on the island. On October 22, Kennedy announced the discovery of the missiles to the public and his decision to quarantine the island. He also said that any nuclear missile launched from Cuba would be taken as...