How Effectively Did the USA Contain the Spread of

Communism?

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

Source 1

Statement by the Soviet Union that a US Attack on Cuba Would Mean Nuclear War, Sept. 11, 1962

The Government of the USSR deems it necessary to draw the attention of the governments of all countries and world opinion to the provocations the United States Government is now staging, provocations which might plunge the world in to the disaster of a universal world war with the use of thermonuclear weapons.

Bellicose-minded reactionary elements of the United States have long since been conducting in the United States Congress, and in the American press an unbridled propaganda campaign against the Cuban Republic … in one word, calling for war …

The American imperialists have been alarmed by the failure of the United States-staged economic blockade of revolutionary Cuba. They would like to strangle the Cuban people, to make them their satellite to wipe out the achievements of the revolution accomplished by the heroic people of Cuba …

[A] certain amount of armaments is … being shipped from the Soviet Union to Cuba at the request of the Cuban Government … The armaments and military equipment sent to Cuba are designed exclusively for defensive purpose … How can these means threaten the United States?

If normal diplomatic and trade relations were established between the United States of America and Cuba, there would be no need for Cuba to strengthen her defenses …

The Soviet Government has declared more than once and declares now: We are stretching out a hand of friendship to the people and Government of the United States. We would like to pool our efforts with the Governments of the United States and other countries to solve all ripe international problems, to safeguard peace on earth. To do so one must agree, above all, on the first step which might be a solution of the problem of ending nuclear weapons tests. We are ready to reach agreement on general and complete disarmament under strict international control.

Source 2

Map of Missile Range in Cuba, 1962President John F. Kennedy used this map while making policy decisions during

the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Source 3Kennedy’s Address to the Nation, Oct. 22, 1962

Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in preparation on that imprisoned island. The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere …

This urgent transformation of Cuba into an important strategic base … constitutes an explicit threat to the peace and security of all the Americas, in flagrant and deliberate defiance of the Rio Pact of 1947 … This action also contradicts the repeated assurances of Soviet spokesmen, both publicly and privately delivered … that the Soviet Union had no need or desire to station strategic missiles on the territory of any other nation …

[T]he Soviet Government publicly stated on September 11 that, and I quote, “The armaments and military equipment sent to Cuba are designed exclusively for defensive purposes” …

Neither the United States of America nor the world community of nations can tolerate deliberate deception and offensive threats on the part of any nation, large or small. We no longer live in a world where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation’s security to constitute maximum peril. Nuclear weapons are so destructive and ballistic missiles are so swift, that any substantially increased possibility of their use or any sudden change in their deployment may well be regarded as a definite threat to peace.

Source 4

Letter from Khrushchev to President Kennedy Regarding Cuba, Oct. 27, 1962

I understand your concern for the security of the United States, Mr. President, because this is the first duty of the president. However … the same duites rest with me as chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers …

Our purpose has been and is to help Cuba, and no one can challenge the humanity of our motives aimed at allowing Cuba to live peacefully and develop as its people desire. You want to relieve your country from danger and this is understandable. However, Cuba also wants this. All countries want to relieve themselves from danger. But how can we, the Soviet Union and our government, assess your actions which, in effect, mean that you have surrounded the Soviet Union with military bases, surrounded our allies with military bases, set up military bases literally around our country, and stationed your rocket weapons around them? … Your rockets are stationed in Britain and in Italy and pointed at us. Your rockets are stationed in Turkey …

These [missiles] are stationed in Cuba at the request of the Cuban government and only in defensive aims. Therefore, if there is no invasion of Cuba, or an attack on the Soviet Union, or other of our allies then, of course, these means do not threaten anyone …

[T]he entire world is now agitated and expects reasonable actions from us.

Source 5

Central Intelligence Agency Memorandum, Oct. 27, 1962

Based on the latest low-level reconnaissance mission, three of the four MRBM sites at San Cristobal and the two sites at Sagua La Grande appear to be fully operational …

The mobilization of Cuban military forces continues at a high rate. However, they remain under orders not to take any hostile action unless attacked …

No significant redeployment of Soviet ground, air or naval forces have been noted. However, there are continuing indications of increased readiness among some units …

There has been no distinct shift in the pattern of reaction. In Western Europe, further support for the US has come from several quarters and unfavorable reactions are decidedly in the minority … French support for the US is hardening.

There are reports that anti-US demonstrations have broken out in several Latin American capitals, including Buenos Aires, Caracas, and La Paz.

Source 6Dobrynin Cable to the USSR Foreign Ministry, Oct. 27, 1962

Late tonight R. Kennedy invited me to come see him. We talked alone.

The Cuban crisis, R. Kennedy began, continues to quickly worsen. We have just received a report than an unarmed American plane was shot down while carrying out a reconnaissance flight over Cuba. The military is demanding that the President arm such planes and respond to fire with fire. The USA government will have to do this.

I interrupted R. Kennedy and asked him what right American planes had to fly over Cuba at all, crudely violating its sovereignty and international norms? How would the USA have reacted if foreign planes appeared over its territory? …

“I want,” R. Kennedy stressed, “to lay out the current alarming situation the way the president sees it. He wants N.S. Khrushchev to know this. This is the thrust of the situation now” …

“[I]f we start to fire in response [to American reconnaissance planes being fired upon] – a chain reaction will quickly start that will be very hard to stop .. The USA government is determined to get rid of those bases – up to, in the extreme case, bombing them, since, I repeat, they pose a great threat to the security of the USA. But in the response to the bombing of these bases … the Soviet government will undoubtedly respond with the same against us … A real war will begin, in which millions of Americans and Russians will die. We want to avoid that any way we can, I’m sure the government of the USSR has the same wish …

“The most important thing for us,” R. Kennedy stressed, “is to get as soon as possible the agreement of the Soviet government to halt further work on the construction of the missile bases in Cuba and take measures under international control that would make it impossible to use these weapons” …

“And what about Turkey?” I asked R. Kennedy.

“If that is the only obstacle to achieving the regulation I mentioned earlier, then the president doesn’t see any insurmountable difficulties in resolving this issue,” replied R. Kennedy. “The greatest difficulty for the president is the public discussion of the issue of Turkey” …

I should say that during our meeting R. Kennedy was very upset; in any case, I’ve never seen him like this before. He didn’t even try to get into fights on various subjects, as he usually does, and only persistently returned to one topic: time is of the essence …

Source 7

Letter from Khrushchev to Castro, Oct. 28, 1962

Dear Comrade Fidel Castro:

Our October 27 message to President Kennedy allows for the question to be settled in your favor, to defend Cuba from an invasion and prevent war from breaking out. Kennedy’s reply … offers assurances that the United States will not invade Cuba with its own forces, nor will it permit its allies to carry out an invasion …

With this motive I would like to recommend to you now, at this moment of change in the crisis, not to be carried away by sentiment and to show firmness. I must say that I understand your feelings of indignation toward the aggressive actions and violations of elementary norms of international law on the part of the United States.

But now, rather than law, what prevails is the senselessness of the militarists at the Pentagon. Now that an agreement is within sight, the Pentagon is searching for a pretext to frustrate this agreement. This is why it is organizing the provocative flights. Yesterday you shot down one of these, while earlier you didn’t shoot them down … The aggressors will take advantage of such a step for their own purposes.

Therefore, I would like to advise you in a friendly manner to show patience, firmness and even more firmness. Naturally, if there’s an invasion it will be necessary to repulse it by any means. But we mustn’t allow ourselves to be carried away by provocations, because the Pentagon’s unbridled militarists … are trying to frustrate the agreement and provoke you into actions that could be used against you …

N. Khrushchev

Source 8

Letter from Castro to Khrushchev, Oct. 28, 1962

Dear Comrade Khrushchev …

I wish to clear up something concerning the antiaircraft measures we adopted. You say: “Yesterday you shot down one of these [planes], while earlier you didn’t shoot them down when they overflew your territory.”

Earlier isolated violations were committed without a determined military purpose or without a real danger stemming from those flights.

This time that wasn’t the case. There was the danger of a surprise attack … We decided not to sit back and wait for a surprise attack …

Yesterday the American government tried to make official the privilege of violating our airspace at any hour of the day and night. We cannot accept that, as it would be tantamount to giving up a sovereign prerogative. However, we agree that we must avoid an incident at this precise moment that could seriously harm the negotiations, so will instruct the Cuban batteries not to open fire … It should also be taken into account that under the current tense conditions incidents can take place accidentally.

I also wish to inform you that we are in principle opposed to an inspection of our territory.

I appreciate extraordinarily the efforts you have made to keep the peace and we are absolutely in agreement with the need for struggling for that goal. If this is accomplished in a just, solid and definitive matter, it will be an inestimable service to humanity.

Fraternally,

Fidel Castro

Source 9

Protesters Outside the United Nations, Oct. 1962

Source 10

British Headlines About the Cuban Missile Crisis, Oct. 1962

Source 11

Untitled cartoon, The Daily Mail, Oct. 29, 1962The Daily Mail is a British newspaper.

Source 12

“Let’s get a lock for this thing,” The Washington Post, Nov. 1, 1962