Confrontation between the superpowers

1959 Jan- Batista regime is overthrown by Castro
1. 1960 Feb- Soviet Politburo member, Anastas Mikoyan, offers economic and military aid to Cuba
  1. 1960 July- Castro promises to spread revolution across Central and South America
    1. 1961 April- The Bay of Pigs invasion by Anti-Castro rebels
      1. 1961 Nov- Kennedy Authorises Operation Mongoose
        1962 May- Khrushchev decides to send nuclear missiles to Cuba
        1962 Oct- American U-2 spy planes discover Soviet missile sits in Cuba
        1962 29 Oct- Khrushchev decides to withdraw the missiles
        1963 Aug- The Moscow Test Ban Treaty is agreed
US attitudes to Cuba and developments leading to the missile crisis
1. The Caribbean was regarded as the USA's backyard. America was determined to maintain stability there in order to protect its own interests.
  1. The Cuban constitution gave the USA rights of intervention and required Cuba to provide naval bases for the USA
    1. Cuban nationalist, Fidel Castro returned to Cuba after being exiled in December 1956 with his brother Raul Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara and 79 supporters.
      1. After a guerrilla campaign against president Fulgencio Batista's regime, Castro's supporters greatly increased
        On 1 January 1959, Batista's regime collapsed and Castro rode into Havana to take control
        Early Developments, 1958-60
        America didn't show much support for Batista during Castro's revolution as it looked nationalist, and non-communist with no/little aid from external communist states.
        In May 1958, President Nixon conducted a visit to various Latin American states which led to a shift in the US' policy towards the region. Economic stability became a target and the USA supported the creation of a regional banking institution
        There was little support for Batista as America refused to support dictators, he also ordered an embargo on arm shipments to Batista
        May 1959, Castro announced a programme of agrarian reform. This led to american property being seized by Cuba. The US weren't too bothered. US fears of Cuba becoming a Soviet Satellite in the Caribbean heightened when the Soviet First Deputy Premier, Anastas Mikoyan visited Cuba in Feb and tied Cuba into an economic relationship with the Soviet Union
        The USSR then sent shipments of crude oil from the USSR to Cuba starting in April 1960. US owned Oil Companies refused to refine it, Castro nationalised them which sparked America to reduce their income of Cuban Sugar by 95% which later led to Castro seizing $1 billion worth of US assets on Cuba in October 1960.
The Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose, 1961
1. The bay of pigs invasion was planned during the Eisenhower administration, it was president JFK who inherited
  1. Plan was to send 1500 anti-Castro exiles to Cuba and carry a military coup to remove Castro
    1. Bay of Pigs was soon crushed and humiliated Kennedy. Ended up consolidating Castro's power.
      1. 30 November 1961, Kennedy authorised Operation Mongoose. Aimed to overthrow Castro and his regime via Covert Operations
        Used Cover operations in Cuba to destabilise the regime and create an anti-Castro revolt. Kennedy appointed General Edward Lansdale to head the operation
        Kennedy planned an air strike known as OPLAN 312 and a land based invasion known as OPLAN 314. The Soviet Union had been supplying Castro with arms for a while but the USA didn't intervene because there was no suggestion that they would threaten the USA
        Khrushchev wanted to support Cuba, so he provided them with nuclear missiles in 1962
        The soviets were willing to support Castro. Installation of nuclear weapons in the mountains of Cuba were only one aspect of support. The soviets also provided planes, bombers and 14,000 ground troops
        The nuclear weapons were short, medium and long range
        Cuba was a good place for Khruschev strategically.
        The expansion of weapons allowed Khruschev to direct more resources into the expansion of the Soviet nuclear arsenal so that they could surpass America
        Khrushchev hoped to develop a link between Cuba and Berlin however he failed to remove the Western power. The Western presence was a political embarrassment to Khrushchev
        The 13 Days of the Missile Crisis
        On 14th October, a U-2 Spy Plane flight produced evidence of an R-12 Missile site at San Cristobal
        2 days later, Kennedy's National Security Adviser informed him of the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba. Kennedy immediately assembled ExComm (executive committee of the national security council)
        The ExComm's job was to consider policy options and their consequences.
        The USA didn't know how to deal with the nuclear threat without intervening and creating problems. The USA also didn't want to do anything that could put NATO at risk
        Kennedy opted for a naval blockade that would stem the flow of missiles entering Cuba. US bases were then put on maximum alert in preparation for a possible military strike against Cuba.
        The next day, the UN security council met. The US ambassador to the UN condemned Soviet deployment. Suprisingly, neither Soviet ambassadors to the US knew of the deployment of Moscow. Khrushchev called the blockade an act of aggression. By 24th October, the first soviet ships to the quarantine either stopped or turned around
        Neither Kennedy or Khrushchev had presented an offer to create a settlement. Brinksmanship was a high-risk strategy in international relations and could be successful if both sides recognised that an confrontation would be undesirable
        Cuba appeared to be in danger of US invasion, Kennedy was also willing to negotiate regarding the presence of US nuclear missiles in Turkey. On 26th October, Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy, Khrushchev was looking for a way out of the crisis.
        Castro was very convinced that an American attack was imminent. On 26th October, Castro ordered Cuban anti-aircraft forces to fire on low-level reconnaissance planes
        The link between US missiles in Turkey and Soviet Missiles in Cuba meant that if the Soviets launched, the US could launch and vice versa. A meeting was summoned with the Soviet Ambassador where Kennedy informed him that he was willing to remove US missiles in Turkey.
        Despite critical nature of the crisis, Khrushchev and Kennedy were careful to not do anything that could have led to a loss of control. This event showed how international relations couldn't be conducted through crisis management methods.
        This led to the creations of the 1963 phone line between the Kremlin and the White House
        Crisis led to the realisation that some control over nuclear arms was needed. In October 1963, the Moscow Test Ban Treaty came into force (this meant that nuclear weapons couldn't be tested in the atmosphere, outer space and under water)
        The Cuban Missile Crisis showed USA using its strong military power to urge the soviets to withdraw missiles. This essentially humiliated the USSR, perceived a defeat for the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
        Cuba still remained a communist state in the USA's "back yard". The US commitment to containment and the Truman Doctrine had failed. Cuba's survival was seen as a success for Khrushchev, this was part of a revolutionary change within developing countries

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Confrontation between the superpowers

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	Created by James Burns almost 11 years ago