Cold War Cuban Missile Crisis Cold War Timeline

Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis

Cold War Timeline Nuclear War Branch 31 Jan 50 Truman announces US intent to develop hydrogen bomb 14 Apr 50 NSC-68: Blueprint for containment strategy 1 Nov 52 First thermonuclear device detonated, Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands 4 Oct 57 USSR launches first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik • Sparks space race US effort in scientific research & education Oct 62 Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

IRBM Deployments Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Range: 3, 000 -5, 500 km (1, 865 -3, 420 miles) 1961

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 IL-28 Bombers R-12 (SS-4) MRBM

Cuban Crisis US stepped up aerial reconnaissance of Cuba High Level Low Level USAF RF-101 U-2 USN F 8 U-1 P

Cuban Crisis October 16, 1962 Photo Reconnaissance reveals missile sites under construction

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 MRBM NATO designation: SS-4 Sandal Range: 2, 000 km (1, 250 nm)

Soviet Missiles Soviet R-14 Usovaya IRBM NATO 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 nm High: 650 nm

Cuban Crisis October 22, 1962 Full Text Full Video (18: 42) President Kennedy addresses nation, orders quarantine ( 3: 09 ) ( Excerpt )

Cuban Crisis October 22, 1962 Secretary of Sate Dean Rusk “… we are in as grave a crisis as mankind has been in. ” On briefing ambassadors to the US after President Kennedy’s speech.

DEFCON 2 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

DEFCON 2 DEFCON: Defense Condition No single DEFCON status for the country DEFCON Determined by Unified Commands in coordination with JCS

US Unified Commands 18

DEFCON 2 DEFCON: Defense Condition No single DEFCON status for the country DEFCON Determined by Unified Commands in coordination with JCS Example: 22 Oct 62: U. S. Armed Forces ordered to DEFCON 3 except: Strategic Air Command (SAC) went to DEFCON 2 US Air Forces Europe remained at DEFCON 4 SAC remained at DEFCON 2 until 15 Nov 62

Cuban Crisis Options 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 October 22, 1962 President Kennedy orders quarantine

Cuban Crisis October 24, 1962: Quarantine in Effect US Navy forces tracked and intercepted Soviet ships approaching quarantine line

Cuban Crisis Quarantine 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

Resolution October 28, 1962 ( 2: 45 )

Resolution October 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 Crisis How it Was Resolved DEFCON 2 ( 0: 10 – 7: 38 ) "The Circle of Modern War" and logo © Thomas D. Pilsch 2007 -2013

Kennedy on Secret Missiles "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. ” ` Address on the Cuban Crisis, October 22, 1962 Full Text

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 Bilateral communications critical => Hotline established Leave your opponent room to maneuver Nuclear disarmament received increased emphasis US Flexible Response doctrine validated

Ghosts of Crises Past That Haunt U. S. Presidents Over Vietnam The trilogy is complete: Munich Chinese Intervention in Korea Cuban Missile Crisis

"We were eyeball to eyeball, and the other fellow just blinked. ” Secretary of State Dean Rusk

Mc. Namara 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 onboard Destroyer 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 onboard Destroyer 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 Documentary ( 50: 31 ) "The Circle of Modern War" and logo © Thomas D. Pilsch 2007 -2013

Next: Vietnam: Into the Abyss

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 •