In 1962, a Cuban Missile Crisis that shocked the world occurred in the Caribbean. This was the fiercest confrontation between the two major powers of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and the two superpowers came to the brink of war in the Caribbean, almost triggering a nuclear war and putting the world at a moment of flux. The crisis lasted only 13 days and ended in a compromise between the two sides.
First, the background of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, became a colony of the United States after the Spanish-American War. In 1959, Fidel Castro launched the Cuban Revolution and established the Republic of Cuba, and in the early days of the establishment of the new regime, the relations between the United States and Cuba were relatively good, and Castro's visit to the United States was warmly welcomed by the Eisenhower administration.
Later, Castro began to implement socio-economic reform measures at home, such as land reform and nationalization campaigns, which caused dissatisfaction in the United States, and Relations between Cuba and the United States immediately entered a state of tension and confrontation, and the United States adopted a policy of political isolation, military siege and economic blockade against Cuba.
The extreme tensions in U.S.-Cuban relations forced Cuba to turn to the Soviet Union and declare itself a socialist country in search of its own security. Since then, the Soviet Union has increased economic and military assistance to Cuba. The Cuban issue thus developed into a hot spot for the United States and the Soviet Union in the Caribbean.
Second, the outbreak of the Cuban missile crisis
(i) Soviet deployment of missiles in Cuba
At the end of May 1962, Khrushchev sent an "agricultural delegation" to Cuba, one of whose members was the Soviet strategic rocket commander, whose purpose was to find out Castro's attitude toward the deployment of missiles. Castro agreed to soviet missile deployment in Cuba, and representatives of the two governments drafted an agreement that the Soviets did not actually sign because of Soviet fears that Cuba would be public. Soviet missile delivery and missile bases were carried out in secret, and only 5 of the top Soviet leaders knew about it except Khrushchev.
(ii) Reaction of the United States to the deployment of missiles by the Soviet Union
The unusual phenomenon of a large number of Soviet ships sailing towards Cuba soon attracted the close attention of American intelligence services. On August 31, the United States saw from aerial photographs taken by reconnaissance aircraft that Cuba began to install Soviet anti-aircraft missiles, as well as Soviet ships carrying missiles heading towards Cuba. On September 4, the White House issued a statement revealing Soviet military assistance to Cuba, including the technical services for setting up missiles and personnel.
Entering October, the Kennedy administration stepped up aerial reconnaissance and surveillance of Cuba. On October 14, the United States, through U-2 aircraft, seized evidence of soviet missile bases in Cuba. On the 16th, Kennedy convened an emergency national security council meeting, and after many parties weighed the committee's majority of the committee's preference for blockade, this is a plan that can be advanced or retreated, leaving room for maneuver. If the blockade was successful, it would force the Soviet Union to withdraw and avoid direct conflict; If the blockade is unsuccessful, further measures could be considered. On October 20, Kennedy made a choice: a blockade.
(iii) The United States imposes an embargo operation
In order to impose a total blockade against Cuba, the United States formed a fleet of 90 ships and mobilized 20,000 navies. On October 24, the fleet on duty sailed to the blockade zone under the escort of 68 air squadrons and eight aircraft carriers, and the United States also assembled the largest landing force since the war, and the strategic air force entered a state of combat readiness. At the same time, the United States has also carried out a series of diplomatic activities to win the support of its allies and the international community.
(iv) The attitude of the Soviet Union towards the isolation and blockade of the United States
In the face of Kennedy's blockade, the attitude of the Soviet Union changed dramatically. At first, the Soviet Union took a tough attitude, returning the US blockade note to the US Embassy in the Soviet Union, and also accelerating the construction of missile bases in Cuba. However, under the pressure of the powerful US offensive, the pressured Khrushchev was very worried that the US military would invade Cuba before the missiles were loaded on the launch pad, so that it could not end in the end, and even triggered a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union began to retreat, and on October 26 the Soviet side sent a message saying that the Soviets could withdraw their missiles if the United States promised not to invade Cuba.
The climax and end of the Cuban Missile Crisis
On October 27, what came to be known as Black Saturday, the Cuban Missile Crisis culminated. That morning, two U-2 U-2 reconnaissance aircraft were attacked by Cuban ground artillery fire, one of which was shot down. At this time, the soviet missile finishing work in Cuba had ended, and all anti-aircraft missiles were in a state of combat readiness. The angry U.S. military proposed bombing a Missile Launch Site in Cuba the following day and invading Cuba.
However, as president, Kennedy knew very well that firing on Soviet bases in Cuba would have irreparable consequences, so Kennedy decided to make another diplomatic effort. Kennedy wrote to Khrushchev, demanding a clear reply from the Soviet side no later than the next day, otherwise the United States Government would take decisive measures to destroy the missile bases in Cuba. On the morning of the 28th, Khrushchev replied to Kennedy, expressing his willingness to stop the launch site project, the missiles would be packed back to the Soviet Union, and negotiations began at the United Nations to accept Kennedy's conditions for resolving the crisis.
In the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Compromise of the Soviet Union directly affected the direction of the crisis, in fact, Khrushchev transported missiles into Cuba, an important purpose is to contain the United States, its real purpose is not to provoke a war, especially a worldwide nuclear war. Of course, Kennedy, as president of the United States, also adopted a rational attitude, so when the two countries were facing a moment of conflict, both sides were seeking a way to reconcile, trying to avoid a deterioration of the situation, and the final result was mutual compromise and thus avoiding a nuclear war.
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