Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis

Cold War Timeline

31 Jan 50 Truman announces US intent to develop hydrogen bomb

Nuclear War Branch

14 Apr 50

1 Nov 52

NSC-68: Blueprint for containment strategy

First thermonuclear device detonated, Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands

• Sparks space race US effort in scientific research & education

USSR launches first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik4 Oct 57

Oct 62 Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

IRBM Deployments

1961

Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile

Range:3,000-5,500 km (1,865-3,420 miles)

Causes of the Cuban Crisis

Soviet Union threaten by US strategic missiles in Europe

• Felt they were falling behind in arms race

Castro feared an invasion of Cuba by U.S.

• Approved deployment of Soviet missiles to Cuba as a safeguard

Cuban Crisis

To counter US deployment of missiles to Europe, USSR began moving offensive arms to Cuba in the summer and early fall of 1962

R-12 (SS-4) MRBM

IL-28 Bombers

Cuban Crisis

US stepped up aerial reconnaissance of Cuba

High Level

Low Level

U-2USAF RF-101

USN F8U-1P

Cuban Crisis

Photo Reconnaissance reveals missile sites under construction

October 16, 1962

Cuban Crisis

Two MRBM sites under construction with SS-4 missiles arriving

IRBM site under construction but no SS-5 missiles introduced

Soviet Missiles

Soviet R-12 Dvina MRBMNATO designation: SS-4 Sandal

Range: 2,000 km (1,250 nm)

Soviet Missiles

Soviet R-14 Usovaya IRBMNATO designation: SS-5 Skean

Range: 4,500 km (2,600 nm)

Launch sites prepared but missiles not deployed to Cuba

Cuban Crisis

Areas threaten by missiles in Cuba

Cuban Crisis

IL-28 Beagle light bomber

Radius (estimated):Low: 350 nmHigh: 650 nm

Cuban Crisis

President Kennedy addresses nation, orders quarantine

October 22, 1962

Full Text

( Excerpt )

Full Video (18:42)

( 3:09 )

Cuban Crisis

“… we are in as grave a crisis as mankind has been in.”

October 22, 1962

Secretary of Sate Dean Rusk

On briefing ambassadors to the US after President Kennedy’s speech.

DEFCON

DEFCON: Defense Condition

DEFCON 1: Maximum readiness; attack on US imminent or under way

DEFCON 2: Further increase in readiness to just below maximum

DEFCON 3: Increased force readiness

DEFCON 4: Normal readiness with increased intelligence & force security

DEFCON 5: Normal force readiness

DEFCON 2 declared October 22, 1962 for SAC

2

DEFCON

DEFCON: Defense Condition

No single DEFCON status for the country DEFCON

2

Determined by Unified Commands in coordination with JCS

18

US Unified Commands

DEFCON

DEFCON: Defense Condition

No single DEFCON status for the country DEFCON

Strategic Air Command (SAC) went to DEFCON 2

2

Determined by Unified Commands in coordination with JCS

Example: 22 Oct 62:

U.S. Armed Forces ordered to DEFCON 3 except:

US Air Forces Europe remained at DEFCON 4

SAC remained at DEFCON 2 until 15 Nov 62

Cuban CrisisOptions Available to U. S.

Airstrikes against missiles

Invasion of Cuba

Quarantine

Cuban Crisis

Proposed US Invasion of Cuba

Dino A. Brugioni“The Invasion of Cuba”Military History Quarterly, Winter 1992

Cuban Crisis

President Kennedy orders quarantine

October 22, 1962

Cuban CrisisOctober 24, 1962: Quarantine in Effect

US Navy forces tracked and intercepted Soviet ships approaching quarantine line

Cuban CrisisQuarantine

USS Vesole (DD-878) shadows Soviet freighter

Cuban Crisis

October 26, 1962: First ship stopped & boarded

USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) stops Soviet-chartered Lebanese freighter Marcula

ResolutionOctober 28, 1962

( 2:45 )

ResolutionOctober 28, 1962

After exchange of messages, Kennedy & Khrushchev reached a confidential agreement:

• US will remove IRBMs from Turkey, Italy

• USSR will remove missiles from Cuba

• US pledged not to invade Cuba

• USSR agreed not to publicly reveal removal of IRBMs

Cuban Missile CrisisHow it Was Resolved

"The Circle of Modern War" and logo© Thomas D. Pilsch 2007-2013

( 0:10 – 7:38 )

DEFCON 2

"Our own strategic missiles have never been transferred to the territory of any other nation under a cloak of secrecy and deception; and our history, unlike that of the Soviets since the end of World War II, demonstrates that we have no desire to dominate or conquer any other nation or impose our system upon its people.” `

Full Text

Address on the Cuban Crisis, October 22, 1962

Kennedy on Secret Missiles

Significance of Cuban Crisis

Kennedy gained prestige for having defused the crisis but widen trans-Atlantic gulf for not consulting with NATO allies

USSR lost some stature in Third World to China

Superpowers learned valuable crisis management lessons

Nuclear disarmament received increased emphasis

US Flexible Response doctrine validated

Bilateral communications critical => Hotline established

Leave your opponent room to maneuver

Ghosts of Crises Past

Munich

Chinese Intervention in Korea

Cuban Missile Crisis

That Haunt U.S. Presidents Over Vietnam

The trilogy is complete:

"We were eyeball to eyeball, and the other fellow just blinked.”

Secretary of State Dean Rusk

McNamara On Crisis

Fog of War (excerpt)

(5:04)

How Close We Came

U.S. destroyer was tracking a Soviet sub in quarantine area

Soviet sub had a nuclear-armed torpedo onboardDestroyer dropped depth charges to drive sub to surface

Sub was ready to respond with nuclear torpedo• Sub skipper & political officer both agreed (normal procedure)• Flotilla commander (more senior) happened to be onboard; vetoed the idea

How Close We Came

U.S. destroyer was tracking a Soviet sub in quarantine area

Soviet sub had a nuclear-armed torpedo onboardDestroyer dropped depth charges to drive sub to surface

Sub was ready to respond with nuclear torpedo• Sub skipper & political officer both agreed (normal procedure)• Flotilla commander (more senior) happened to be onboard; vetoed the idea

( 46:16 ) Nuclear Sharks: Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

"The Circle of Modern War" and logo© Thomas D. Pilsch 2007-2013

( 50:31 )

Documentary

Vietnam: Into the Abyss

Next:

Lesson Objectives

• Understand the Vietnam War as part of the Cold War.

• Understand the doctrine of limited war and counterinsurgency as espoused by the Kennedy Administration.

• Understand the timeline of events that led to U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia.

• Understand the U.S. rationale and strategy for the Vietnam War.

End

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