Kennedy's Response To The Nuclear Crisis

Never had the world seen a period of such political intensity and fear. Immediately following the discovery of the missiles, Kennedy formed a secret military management group of advisors; EXCOMM. By considering a range of opinions and alternates, Kennedy could therefore evalute the best stratgey for the United States. One of which was to take an aggressive approach to the situation; a strategic airstrike. Whilst it would effectivly eliminate Soviet missiles and show strength of the United States government, an airstrike would be seen as an act of war upon Cuba and the Soviet Union. This could therefore act as a catalyst in esculation towards nuclear war between the nations, a consequence that Kennedy did not want to risk. Even when an American
Whilst the plan had the potential to secure the nuclear safety of the United States, the potential harm to Soviet soliders would be considered an act of war upon the union. Similarly to an airstrike, this could lead to esculation of nuclear war between the two nations, as stated by George Ball, Secretary of State, “you go in there with a surprise attack … this isnt the end. This is the beginning.” Also influencing President Kennedy’s fear of esculation was the historical novel ‘The Guns of August,’ a narrative volume of early World War I. Kennedy did not want similar escualtion as seen in the novel, as stated by Micheal Dobbs in his novel ‘One Minute to Midnight,’ “helped in dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis including the profound and unpredictable implications a rapid escualtion of the situation could have.” Prior events such as the failed Bay of Pigs invasion also influenced Kennedy’s reluctance to act agressivly. Protecting their own intrests, in 1960 President Eisenhower authorised the CIA to recruit 1400 Cuban exiles in attempt to overthrow the Castro and the Cuban Government. Ulitmately however, the invasion failed, with the exiles surrendering on April 19th 1961. Whilst the Bay of Pigs invasion was initiated by President Eisenhower, it created tension between the two nations, and demonstrated the negative potential consequences of
As Premier of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev’s communist values were polar opposite to that of President Kennedy, “do you think when two opposing views get together and shake hands, the contradictions between our systems will simply melt away? What kind of daydream is that?” Similarly to Kennedy however, Khrushchev wanted to expand his chosen political system globaly. Therefore, when the oppourtunity arose, Khrushchev chose to support Cuba against the United States following the 1962 Bay of Pigs Invasion. Taking both deffensive and offensive actions, nuclear weapsons were developed in Cuba, as well as 40,000 Soviet workers being sent and a public backing from the Soviet Union, “long live the eternal, indestructable friendship and cooperation between the Soviet and Cuban peoples.” Whilst the nuclear missiles did protect Cuba theoretically, the oppourtunity was most benefical to the Soviet Union. Reciporacy was one way in which this was achieved. In 1961 the United States military deployed intermediate range “Jupiter” nuclear missilies in Italy and Turkey, adjacent to Russia. From there the missiles could reach all of the Western Soviet Union, including Moscow and Leningrad. Therefore, by developing nuclear missiles in Cuba it reciprocated for the existing threats against the Soviet Union. Khrushchev also saw the crisis as an oppourtunity to “close the missile gap,” with the United States