Cuban Missle Crisis Essay Research Paper Cuban free essay sample

Cuban Missle Crisis Essay, Research Paper Cuban Missile Crisis When given the chance to compose a research paper on any struggle or conflict during recent American History, one has a figure of options: World War Two, the War in Vietnam, and the Korean struggle to call but a few. However, I have chosen a brief period of two hebdomads during which the really being of the United States was earnestly threatened. To most of my coevals the Cuban missile crisis is nonexistent. No 1 tends to look at non-physical actions as 1s of any importance. However, if the successes and failures of past coevalss are non decently looked at we will be blind as to what should be done in the hereafter. The anxiousness and emotions felt by 200 million Americans as the U.S. was on the threshold of atomic war has since been forgotten. The Cuban missile crisis is an of import aspect of American history for many grounds. We will write a custom essay sample on Cuban Missle Crisis Essay Research Paper Cuban or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When Eisenhower yielded the presidential term to Kennedy the gross output of all U.S. arms likely equaled about one million times that of the bomb that had obliterated Hiroshima. We must pay close attending to these figures because, in October 1962 the United States was on the threshold of a atomic war with the Soviet Union ; we must recognize merely how close we came to decease if it was non for the speedy actions of many brave work forces and adult females in charge of intelligence. The blast of an atomic bomb is measured in 1000s of dozenss of TNT, in contrast the blast of a H bomb, which is measured in 1000000s of dozenss of TNT. The Hiroshima bomb was 10 pess long, weighed about 5 dozenss, and required a crew of experts yearss to lade. In contrast, by the clip of the missile crisis, bombs 20 times more powerful were three pess long and could be strapped to an ordinary bomber. The populace learned how toxic atomic arms were when Strontium-90 generated by trials in Nevada showed up in milk in New Jersey. The Cuban missile crisis began on October 14, 1962 when CIA U2 undercover agent planes took aerial exposure of Cuba and revealed the worst frights of some members of Congress: that the Soviet Union had been carrying arms in Cuba. On October 16, it was revealed that non merely had the Soviets been carrying arms, but they were hive awaying 40 medium-range-ballistic-missiles ( MRBM ) in Cuba that, with the aid of decommissioned Soviet aircraft could be launched up to 1,100 stat mis and were hence within easy range of the United States. The menace of a atomic war with the Soviet Union had placed fright in both Americans and Russians for both sides knew that neither could win a atomic war. Although the United States might militarily win such a war, losingss would be in the 10s of 1000000s and it is dubious that we could last the atomic winter that would follow. Between October 16th and 22nd Kennedy spoke with his National Security Advisors so that he might come to the best determination as to what to make in such a atomic confrontation. One suggestion was that the U.S. should occupy Cuba but this was overturned due to the losingss and media frenzy that The Bay of Pigs invasion had caused. Another suggestion was that the U.S. should bomb the sites where it was determined that atomic payloads were located. This determination, excessively, was overturned as Kennedy felt that if the Soviets were willing to set payloads in Cuba they might revenge if the United States bombed these payloads and the 1000s of technicians in Cuba needed to guarantee their smooth operation. In 1962 although both the Soviet Union and the U.S. had MRBM s neither had the capableness to stop the oppositions # 8217 ; , go forthing it so that if the U.S.S.R launched a payload on the U.S. within seconds the U.S. would establish one at the U.S.S.R and within proceedingss both of our states would be destroyed. The Navy was ordered to quarantine ( a euphemism to avoid the diplomatic term encirclement ) Cuba, turning back all ships transporting violative arms at that place. The President made it clear that any atomic arm launched from Cuba would ensue in a full revenge by the United States on the Soviet Union. One can theorize that the Soviet Union placed arms in Cuba non to assail the U.S. but to give the feeling that they could if they wanted to. In making this, the Soviet s purpose was most likely to transfuse fear into the American thickly settled and authorities. Expecting the U.S. to take the affair to the U.N. , the Kremlin may hold placed violative arms in Cuba entirely to be used as a bargaining bit within the U.N. so that the U.S. would hold to a Berlin and German colony on Soviet footings. The Kremlin has been historically bad at judging other states responses to its actions and did non recognize that the American authorities would non see this a mere menace, but a menace to the American manner of life. The Kremlin erroneously believed that the United States would digest its ain methods of foreign policy being used upon it. President Kennedy took the menace imposed by the Kremlin as a echt menace mentioning that when Soviet purposes are non known it is better to take any menaces at face value. Taking the Soviet menace as echt, Kennedy himself threatened world-devastation by informing Premier Khrushchev that the United States had every purpose of making whatever is necessary to guarantee the American manner of life. In one missive on October 28th, 1962 Khrushchev agreed to retreat the missiles if the United Sates pledged neer to occupy Cuba. The containment policy that the U.S. had implemented against the Soviet Union had worked once more. The bear was back in its den. There are those who believe that the United States should hold bombed out the missile sites and the Castro authorities. The simpleness of such a class is attractive, but the consequences would hold been questionable. The missiles would hold been removed but 1000s of Soviet technicians might hold been killed. Because it sometimes reacts instinctively, the Kremlin might hold responded with a direct military counterblow. Khrushchev failed in his mission to negociate a Russian colony of the Berlin and German state of affairss. His error was in non recognizing that the U.S. excessively could play tough and that Americans would non let their manner of life to be threatened under any fortunes. On Monday, October 29, 1962 the Soviet missiles were being withdrawn and the Cuban crisis was over. President Kennedy had non flinched under the two greatest force per unit areas of a presidential term the menace to national security and the danger of a atomic war. His commixture of limited, but definite, military action-the quarantine-with the strongest possible diplomatic language-the menace to eliminate the Soviet Union was -masterful. President Kennedy non merely prevented a atomic war but besides resolved the state of affairs without a individual hurt or decease. Bibliography Bohlen, Charles E. , Witness to History, 1929-1969. New York: Norton, 1973. Collier, Peter and Horowitz, David The Kennedys: An American Dream. New York: Acme Books ( Simon A ; Schuster ) , 1984. Detzer, David The Brink: Narrative of the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Crowell, 1979 LaFeber, Walter The American Century. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1988. May, Ernest R. and Zelikow, Philip D. explosive detection systems. The Kennedy Tapes. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1997.