Cuban missile crisis (dec 1, 1961 – oct 29, 1962)

Description:

put peaceful coexistence/ MAD to test
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- Unsuccessful US Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961
- Convinced Cuba to seek help from the USSR
- Khrushchev deployed nuclear missiles to Cuba => to protect the island + counteract the threat from US missiles in Italy and Turkey
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Oct 14 1962- Us reconnaissance fights saw that there were nuclear missiles on cuba

Emergency meeting=> advirors told kennedy to airstrike missile sites + invasion of the island

but Kennedy preferred to be + careful
=>>> US ordered a naval « quarantine » over cuba instead of using the term of « blockade » (otherwise the ussr would come to war)

Kennedy sent a message to Khrushchev to tell him that he should remove the missiles

Khrushchev said that the blockade was an « act of agression » and said that he didn’t want to remove the missiles

THUS ENSUED THE MOST INTENSE SIX DAYS OF THE COLD WAR!!!

US military set itself for DEF CON 2=> defense readiness one step away from nuclear way


Then Khrushchev said that they would remove the missiles if they promise to not invade cuba- they sent a second letter saying that he also wanted the US to remove their missiles from turkey

Robert Kennedy secretly met with Soviet embassador Anatoly Dobrynin => reached a proposal: US would remove missiles from Turkey and Italy+ promise to never invade Cuba; + Soviet withdrawal from Cuba under UN inspection


Accepted !!!!

Khrushchev removed missiles

Nuclear Non proliferation Treaty was signed –

Limited test ban Treaty

Hotline between the two superpowers (leaders can directly talk to each-other)

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