1 janv. 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis

Description:

|1962|

CAUSES:

- When Castro came to power he ejected all US business so the US refused to buy sugar from Cuba in retaliation. They started trading with the USSR and became good allies
- The bay of Pigs pushed Cuba closer to the USSR and in September 1962 the USSR started sending military supplies to Cuba for 'defence' against the US. Including medium range nuclear missiles.
- In October 1962 a U-2 took pictures of intermediate range missile bases. These could hit nearly all US cities and were clearly very offensive. This angered the US.

WHAT HAPPENED:
- There were 13 days between Kennedy seeing the photographs and the soviet decision to dismantle the bases.
- Kennedy decided to place a naval blockade around Cuba to stop Soviet ship delivering military materials to the island. A fleet of submarines, and over 150 ICBM's were made combat ready. Kennedy informed the Soviet ships that they would be stopped.
- The USSR decided to turn their ships around to avoid confrontation. Kennedy demanded the removal of all missiles from Cuba and threatened to invade Cuba.
- Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy saying he would remove the missiles if the US blockade was lifted and they didn't invade Cuba
- Under pressure from his advisers, he then sent another, much tougher, letter the next day. Promising to remove the missiles if the US removed their missiles on the Turkey-Soviet boarder.
- Kennedy simply ignored the second letter and pretended not to receive it and accepted the first offer.
- As a secret deal the US promised to remove the missiles from Turkey at a later date but the deal was not to be made public.

CONSEQUENCES:
- Khrushchev was humiliated for backing down and fell under the heavy criticism of Soviet politicians and Chairman Mao. He was fired in 1964.
- A telephone hotline was set up between the leaders of the US and USSR so they did not have to communicate by letter in the event of another crisis.
- Movement toward limiting the growth of nuclear weapons in the Partial Test Ban Treaty and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ajouté au bande de temps:

Date: