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What were Kennedy's options to the missile crisis?
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- 1He could do nothingThe USA had a much larger nuclear force than USSR and overreacting may lead to a nuclear war against USSR. However, it would be seen as a sign of weakness and may encourage the Soviets to challenge USA again, possibly in Berlin.
- 2Surgical air strike (immediate air strike on the missile sites in Cuba)It would destroy the missiles before they became operational. But, the US air force couldn't guarantee to destroy all the missiles - some might be launched at US cities, killing millions of people. Bombing the Cuban sites would kill Soviet soldiers, prompting Khrushchev to to respond. Maybe seen as an aggressive act to bomb such a small country.
- 3A full-scale US invasion on CubaThey would be able to remove the missile bases and Castro from power, but this would inevitably cause a Soviet response - perhaps an invasion of West Berlin and nuclear war.
- 4Diplomatic Pressure (involve United Nations and other international organisations)It might force the Soviets to stop placing the missiles but it was very unlikely that Khrushchev would back down, so was a very weak option.
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- GCSE Missile Crisis Flashcards on What were Kennedy's options to the missile crisis?, created by sagar.joban on 04/04/2013.
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