The Cuban Missile Crisis How did the US

The Cuban Missile Crisis How did the US respond to the Soviet desire to place nuclear missiles in Cuba?

US vs. USSR The United States has nuclear weapons in Turkey (located very close to USSR). u The Soviets feel they need weapons close to the US if we have some so close to them. u May, 1962: Khrushchev makes veiled references to a plot (How would the U. S. feel to have missiles pointing at them, as they have missiles pointed at us? ) u

So where does the USSR choose to place weapons? u CUBA! u The USSR places nuclear weapons pointing at the US in Cuba (only 90 miles away from Florida) u The US demands them gone. u Cuba says, sure keep them here.

Fidel Castro (Communist President of Cuba) and Nikita Khrushchev (Communist leader of USSR)

So, how does the US respond? A brief Timeline… u September 1962: JFK and Congress issue warnings to USSR that US will deal harshly with any threats to national security u October 14, 1962: U 2 recon. flight over Cuba spots sites installing nuclear missiles u October 15, 1962: Presence of missiles is confirmed u

U 2 Spy-plane

John Fitzgerald Kennedy What should he do?

So how does it end? President Kennedy threatens nuclear action is the missiles are not removed from Cuba. u JFK imposes a naval blockade, which is successful. u Soviets back down and we agree to pull our weapons from Turkey. And they all lived happily ever after. Except…that part isn’t true u This is the Cuban Missile Crisis. u