The Cuban Missile Crisis

247 Pages·2015·3.43 MB·English

by  Laurie Collier Hillstrom

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Omnigraphics’ Defining Momentsseries was created for the express purpose of meeting the TR
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growing appetite for authoritative, useful resources on the nation’s history. This series, M
which focuses on pivotal events that transformed the United States’ political, cultural, and
social landscape, will be of enduring value to anyone interested in learning more about D Missile Crisis
America’s past—and in understanding how these events continue to reverberate today. e
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The Cuban Missile Crisis—like all volumes in the Defining Moments series—is arranged in n
three distinct sections. The Narrative Overviewsection provides a detailed, factual account in
of this “defining moment” in American history, from its earliest inception to its legacy today. g
The Biographies section includes valuable biographical background on leading figures M
involved in the era, concluding with a list of sources for further information on the individual. o
The Primary Sourcessection collects a broad range of essential and enlightening documents m
on the topic, from official documents to letters, memoirs, and more. e
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Other valuable features include a glossary of important people, places, and terms; a chronol- t
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ogy of events; a complete bibliography; an annotated list of selected sources for future study;
and a subject index. T
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Students using Defining Moments: The Cuban Missile Crisis will find information on a

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wide range of topics suitable for historical research and writing reports:
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• Throughout the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a
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standoff over the divided city of Berlin, Germany. Compare the Berlin crisis to the a
Cuban Missile Crisis. How were they similar, and how were they different? n
• Imagine you are a government official in the Soviet Union in early 1962. Nikita
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Khrushchev invites you to help him decide whether to send nuclear missiles to Cuba.
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Analyze various scenarios and then present your advice to Khrushchev. s
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• Examine the legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis on U.S. foreign policy. What lessons
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did the country learn, and how have later presidents applied these lessons to the crises l
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they faced?

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• Some people believe that the best way to avoid nuclear war is to eliminate all nuclear
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weapons from the world. Other people believe that nuclear weapons act as a stabiliz-
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ing force in world politics. Explain which position you support and why. s
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For more research topics covered in this volume,
please see the full list on pages xv-xvi.
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155 W. Congress, Suite 200
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: [phone] Laurie Collier Hillstrom
Fax: [phone]
www.omnigraphics.com
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Defining Moments
The Cuban
Missile Crisis
DM - Cuba 3/4/15 11:19 AM Page ii
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Defining Moments
The Cuban
Missile Crisis
Laurie Collier Hillstrom
155 W. Congress, Suite 200
Detroit, MI 48226
DM - Cuba 3/4/15 11:19 AM Page iv
Omnigraphics, Inc.
Cherie D. Abbey, Managing Editor
Peter E. Ruffner, Publisher
Copyright © 2015 Omnigraphics, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-7808-1348-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hillstrom, Laurie Collier, 1965-
The Cuban Missile Crisis / by Laurie Collier Hillstrom.
pages cm. -- (Defining moments)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: “Provides users with a detailed and authoritative overview of events surrounding the
harrowing 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, telling the story of
the tense thirteen-day standoff that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Includes biogra-
phies, primary sources, and more”-- Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-7808-1348-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. I. Title.
E841.H548 2015 973.922--dc23
2015003221
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
The information in this publication was compiled from sources cited and from sources considered reliable.
While every possible effort has been made to ensure reliability, the publisher will not assume liability for dam-
ages caused by inaccuracies in the data, and makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy of the
information contained herein.
This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the ANSI Z39.48 Standard. The infinity symbol that appears
above indicates that the paper in this book meets that standard.
Printed in the United States of America.
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Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii
Research Topics for Defining Moments: The Cuban Missile Crisis . . . . . . . . . .xv
NARRATIVE OVERVIEW
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Chapter 1: The Cold War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Chapter 2: The United States and Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Chapter 3: The Discovery of Soviet Missiles in Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Chapter 4: The World Reaches the Brink of Nuclear War . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Chapter 5: The Cold War Comes to an End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Chapter 6: Legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
BIOGRAPHIES
Rudolf Anderson Jr. (1927-1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
American Pilot Who Was the Only Combat Casualty of the
Cuban Missile Crisis
Fidel Castro (1926-) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Premier of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Anatoly Dobrynin (1919-2010) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. during the Cuban Missile Crisis
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Defining Moments: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Alexander Feklisov (1914-2007) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Russian Spy Who Proposed a Deal to Resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
President of the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
U.S. Attorney General and Leader of ExComm
Nikita Khrushchev (1891-1971) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Soviet Premier Who Placed Nuclear Missiles in Cuba
John McCone (1902-1991) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Director of the CIA during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Robert S. McNamara (1916-2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Ted Sorensen (1928-2010) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Special Counsel and Speechwriter for President Kennedy
PRIMARY SOURCES
The Soviet Union Vows to Defend Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Robert F. Kennedy Describes ExComm Deliberations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
John F. Kennedy Tells the World about the Missiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Nikita Khrushchev Denounces the U.S. Naval Blockade . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
An Influential Columnist Proposes a Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Fidel Castro Calls for a Nuclear Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Khrushchev Sends His Conciliatory “First Letter” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Khrushchev Sends His More Aggressive “Second Letter” . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Kennedy Responds to Khrushchev’s Initial Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
Anatoly Dobrynin Worries That Nuclear War Is Imminent . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Khrushchev Accepts the Deal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Kennedy Presents “A Strategy for Peace” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
The Crisis’s Lasting Impact on U.S. Foreign Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
vi
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Table of Contents
Important People, Places, and Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Sources for Further Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Photo and Illustration Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
vii
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Preface
T
hroughout the course of America’s existence, its people, culture, and
institutions have been periodically challenged—and in many cases
transformed—by profound historical events. Some of these momentous
events, such as women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement, and U.S. involve-
ment in World War II, invigorated the nation and strengthened American
confidence and capabilities. Others, such as the McCarthy era, the Vietnam War,
and Watergate, have prompted troubled assessments and heated debates about
the country’s core beliefs and character.
Some of these defining moments in American history were years or even
decades in the making. The Harlem Renaissance and the New Deal, for exam-
ple, unfurled over the span of several years, while the American labor move-
ment and the Cold War evolved over the course of decades. Other defining
moments, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the terrorist attacks of Sep-
tember 11, 2001, transpired over a matter of days or weeks.
But although significant differences exist among these events in terms of
their duration and their place in the timeline of American history, all share the
same basic characteristic: they transformed the United States’ political, cultur-
al, and social landscape for future generations of Americans.
Taking heed of this fundamental reality, American citizens, schools, and
other institutions are increasingly emphasizing the importance of understand-
ing our nation’s history. Omnigraphics’s Defining Moments series was created for
the express purpose of meeting this growing appetite for authoritative, useful
historical resources. This series will be of enduring value to anyone interested
in learning more about America’s past—and in understanding how those his-
torical events continue to reverberate in the twenty-first century.
Each individual volume of Defining Momentsprovides a valuable resource
for readers interested in learning about the most profound events in our
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