The history of the Cuban Missile Crisis - Matthew A. Jordan

Summary

The Cold War, a 45-year period following World War II, was marked by the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation, a reality that came to a head during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba sought Soviet support, leading to the secret deployment of nuclear missiles on the island. The discovery of these missiles by the US led to a tense 13-day standoff, nearly resulting in nuclear war. Key decisions by leaders, notably John F. Kennedy's naval quarantine and Vasili Arkhipov's refusal to launch a nuclear torpedo, along with critical diplomatic negotiations, eventually resolved the crisis, highlighting the fragility of human politics in the nuclear age.

Takeaways

• 💣 The Cold War was a period of high tension between the US and the USSR, marked by the threat of nuclear annihilation.
• 🛡️ The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world came to nuclear war, a 13-day standoff between the US, the USSR, and Cuba.
• 🇺🇸🇷🇺 The crisis began after the US discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, intended to deter a US invasion and counterbalance US missiles in Turkey and Italy.
• 🔫 President Kennedy opted for a naval blockade (termed a 'quarantine') of Cuba instead of direct military action, a move the Soviets considered an act of war.
• 🛩 A key moment was when a US spy plane was shot down over Cuba and a Soviet submarine nearly launched a nuclear torpedo in response to US naval pressure.
• 🏳️ Vasili Arkhipov, the submarine's second in command, refused to authorize the launch, preventing potential nuclear disaster.
• 🔥 The US military escalated to DEFCON 2, indicating the US was one step away from nuclear war.
• 📖 Secret negotiations between US Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin led to a deal: the US would remove missiles from Turkey and promise not to invade Cuba, in exchange for the USSR withdrawing missiles from Cuba.
• 📬 Khrushchev announced the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba, effectively ending the crisis.
• 🤦‍♂️ The crisis highlighted the fragility of international politics and the terrifying power of nuclear weapons, demonstrating that a single decision can significantly alter history.

Q & A

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis and when did it occur?

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba. It occurred in October 1962 and is considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.

What event led Cuba to seek assistance from the U.S.S.R.?

The Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, a failed attempt by the U.S. to overthrow Cuba's new communist government, led Cuba to seek military assistance from the U.S.S.R.

Why did the Soviet Union deploy missiles to Cuba?

The Soviet Union deployed missiles to Cuba to protect the island from any future invasion attempts and to counteract the threat from U.S. missiles stationed in Italy and Turkey.

What was President John F. Kennedy's initial response to the discovery of missiles in Cuba?

Upon discovering the missiles, President John F. Kennedy chose a careful approach by announcing that the U.S. Navy would intercept all shipments to Cuba, effectively enacting a naval blockade, which he referred to as a 'quarantine' to avoid war connotations.

How did Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev react to the U.S. blockade of Cuba?

Nikita Khrushchev wrote an outraged letter to Kennedy, stating that the blockade was an act of aggression and warned that it pushed mankind toward the abyss of world nuclear missile war.

What event almost led to the launch of a nuclear torpedo by a Soviet submarine?

A Soviet submarine, hit by a small-depth charge from a U.S. Navy vessel as a signal to surface, prepared to launch a nuclear torpedo under the mistaken belief that war had begun. The launch was averted by Vasili Arkhipov, the second in command, who refused to authorize it.

What significance does Vasili Arkhipov hold in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Vasili Arkhipov played a critical role in the Cuban Missile Crisis by vetoing the decision to launch a nuclear torpedo from a Soviet submarine, a choice that potentially saved the world from a nuclear war.

What was DEFCON 2, and when was it declared during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

DEFCON 2 is the defense readiness condition level one step away from nuclear war. It was declared for the first time in history by the U.S. Military during the Cuban Missile Crisis, signaling the high readiness of U.S. forces.

What was the outcome of the secret negotiation between Robert Kennedy and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin?

The secret negotiation led to a proposal where the U.S. would remove their missiles from Turkey and Italy and promise not to invade Cuba in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal of missiles from Cuba under U.N. inspection.

What lesson was learned from the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Cuban Missile Crisis revealed the fragility of human politics compared to the devastating power of nuclear weapons, demonstrating how slight miscommunications or decisions could potentially lead to catastrophic outcomes.

Outlines

00:00

💥 The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Tense Standoff

This paragraph delves into the historical context of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a pivotal 13-day period during the Cold War when the world faced the threat of nuclear war. It highlights the post-WWII tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and Cuba's subsequent request for Soviet military support. The narrative explains how the Soviet Union secretly deployed nuclear missiles to Cuba, leading to a naval blockade by the U.S. and escalating tensions. The paragraph emphasizes President John F. Kennedy's cautious response, the intense negotiations, and the ultimate resolution through diplomacy, including the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey and Italy and the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba. It concludes by reflecting on the fragility of human politics and the immense power of nuclear weapons, as exemplified by the crucial role of Vasili Arkhipov in preventing a potential nuclear war.

Keywords

💡Cold War

The Cold War refers to the period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, from the end of World War II to the early 1990s. It was characterized by the threat of nuclear war, espionage, propaganda, and proxy wars in third countries. The video highlights this era to set the stage for the Cuban Missile Crisis, illustrating the constant fear of nuclear annihilation that defined global politics and the lives of millions during this time.

💡Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba. It is highlighted in the video as the closest the world ever came to full-scale nuclear war. The crisis involved key decisions by leaders, secret negotiations, and the immense pressure of handling nuclear weapons responsibly to avoid a catastrophe.

💡Bay of Pigs

The Bay of Pigs refers to a failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 by a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group composed of Cuban exiles. The video mentions this event to explain how it led Cuba to seek Soviet assistance, escalating tensions between the US and the USSR and setting the stage for the Cuban Missile Crisis. It illustrates a pivotal moment where US foreign policy actions inadvertently moved the world closer to nuclear conflict.

💡Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons are explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions. They are central to the video's narrative, symbolizing the existential threat of the Cold War era. The deployment of these weapons in Cuba by the Soviet Union, and the existing US missiles in Italy and Turkey, exemplify the arms race and the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) that defined Cold War diplomacy.

💡DEFCON 2

DEFCON 2 refers to the second-highest level of alert in the United States military defense readiness condition system, indicating a step just below nuclear war. The video mentions the US setting itself to DEFCON 2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, emphasizing the extreme brinkmanship and the imminent threat of nuclear conflict during this tense period.

💡Vasili Arkhipov

Vasili Arkhipov was a Soviet Navy officer who played a crucial role in preventing a nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. By refusing to authorize the launch of a nuclear torpedo from a Soviet submarine, Arkhipov exemplified individual agency and the potential for a single person to affect global events. His actions are highlighted in the video as a pivotal moment that potentially saved the world from disaster.

💡Naval Blockade

A naval blockade is the use of naval forces to block the maritime traffic to and from a particular country or region. In the context of the Cuban Missile Crisis, as mentioned in the video, President Kennedy implemented a naval blockade, referred to as a 'quarantine', around Cuba to prevent the Soviet Union from delivering more nuclear missiles. This act escalated tensions but also served as a non-directly confrontational approach to dealing with the crisis.

💡Diplomacy

Diplomacy refers to the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, war, economics, culture, environment, and human rights. The video emphasizes diplomacy as the ultimate resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis, showcasing the secret negotiations between Robert Kennedy and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin that led to the removal of missiles from Cuba and Turkey.

💡Doomsday Clock

The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It was mentioned in the video as being at one minute to midnight during the Cuban Missile Crisis, illustrating the imminent danger of nuclear war and the precarious balance between peace and annihilation during this period.

💡Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

Mutually Assured Destruction is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender. It is implied in the video's discussion of the nuclear capabilities of the US and USSR, underlying the perilous logic that prevented both sides from proceeding to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Highlights

The Cold War era's constant threat of nuclear annihilation.

The Cuban Missile Crisis as a peak of US-Soviet tensions.

The failed Bay of Pigs invasion intensifying Cuba's alignment with the USSR.

Soviet nuclear missiles secretly deployed to Cuba.

The discovery of missiles by US intelligence sparking a global crisis.

President Kennedy's decision for a naval blockade over military airstrike.

The naval blockade's potential to be seen as an act of war.

Khrushchev's letter accusing the US of pushing towards nuclear war.

The tense stand-off with nuclear weapons fully armed.

Major Rudolph Anderson's death and the near-launch of a Soviet nuclear torpedo.

Vasili Arkhipov's crucial decision preventing nuclear war.

The US military reaching DEFCON 2, on the brink of war.

Secret negotiations between Robert Kennedy and Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin.

The agreement to remove missiles from Turkey, Italy, and Cuba, averting the crisis.

The reflection on the fragility of human politics in the nuclear age.

Transcripts

It's not hard to imagine a world where at any given moment,

you and everyone you know could be wiped out without warning

at the push of a button.

This was the reality for millions of people during the 45-year period

after World War II,

now known as the Cold War.

As the United States and Soviet Union faced off across the globe,

each knew that the other had nuclear weapons capable of destroying it.

And destruction never loomed closer than during the 13 days

of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1961, the U.S. unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Cuba's new communist government.

That failed attempt was known as the Bay of Pigs,

and it convinced Cuba to seek help from the U.S.S.R.

Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev was happy to comply

by secretly deploying nuclear missiles to Cuba,

not only to protect the island,

but to counteract the threat from U.S. missiles in Italy and Turkey.

By the time U.S. intelligence discovered the plan,

the materials to create the missiles were already in place.

At an emergency meeting on October 16, 1962,

military advisors urged an airstrike on missile sites

and invasion of the island.

But President John F. Kennedy chose a more careful approach.

On October 22, he announced that the the U.S. Navy

would intercept all shipments to Cuba.

There was just one problem:

a naval blockade was considered an act of war.

Although the President called it a quarantine

that did not block basic necessities,

the Soviets didn't appreciate the distinction.

In an outraged letter to Kennedy,

Khrushchev wrote, "The violation of freedom to use international waters

and international airspace is an act of aggression

which pushes mankind toward the abyss of world nuclear missile war."

Thus ensued the most intense six days of the Cold War.

While the U.S. demanded the removal of the missiles,

Cuba and the U.S.S.R insisted they were only defensive.

And as the weapons continued to be armed,

the U.S. prepared for a possible invasion.

On October 27, a spy plane piloted by Major Rudolph Anderson

was shot down by a Soviet missile.

The same day, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine was hit by a small-depth charge

from a U.S. Navy vessel trying to signal it to come up.

The commanders on the sub, too deep to communicate with the surface,

thought war had begun and prepared to launch a nuclear torpedo.

That decision had to be made unanimously by three officers.

The captain and political officer both authorized the launch,

but Vasili Arkhipov, second in command, refused.

His decision saved the day and perhaps the world.

But the crisis wasn't over.

For the first time in history,

the U.S. Military set itself to DEFCON 2,

the defense readiness one step away from nuclear war.

With hundreds of nuclear missiles ready to launch,

the metaphorical Doomsday Clock stood at one minute to midnight.

But diplomacy carried on.

In Washington, D.C., Attorney General Robert Kennedy

secretly met with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin.

After intense negotiation, they reached the following proposal.

The U.S. would remove their missiles from Turkey and Italy

and promise to never invade Cuba

in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba under U.N. inspection.

Once the meeting had concluded,

Dobrynin cabled Moscow saying time is of the essence

and we shouldn't miss the chance.

And at 9 a.m. the next day,

a message arrived from Khrushchev

announcing the Soviet missiles would be removed from Cuba.

The crisis was now over.

While criticized at the time by their respective governments

for bargaining with the enemy,

contemporary historical analysis shows great admiration

for Kennedy's and Khrushchev's ability to diplomatically solve the crisis.

But the disturbing lesson was that a slight communication error,

or split-second decision by a commander, could have thwarted all their efforts,

as it nearly did if not for Vasili Arkhipov's courageous choice.

The Cuban Missile Crisis revealed just how fragile human politics are

compared to the terrifying power they can unleash.