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Khrushchev in power
Nikita Khrushchev became soviet president - took immediate interest in the new Castro government because of Cuba's close proximity to the U.S. -
Fidel Castro seizes power. Economic ties with U.S broken
U.S had been deeply involved with Cuba since 1898 when they helped them become independent from the Spainish.
The U.S owned 90% of Cuban mines ,cattle ranches and 40% of the suger industry. When Catro's guerrilla force seized control of Cuba, the U.S become suspecious about the new goverment being comunist. The U.S became openly hostile, they didn't provide financial aid and blockaded any oil from entering Cuba. -
Period: to
The Cuban Missile Crisis
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Castro signs trade pact with Soviet Union
Castro's new regime was struggling, in order for his government to remain in power, ties with the U.S.A needed to be shifted to the communist Soviet Union. -
No ties left.
After having signed the trade pact and aligning with the Soviet Union, all doplomatic ties were severed with the United States. -
Failed invasion. Bay of Pigs
The CIA trained and equipped 1400 men to invade Cuba and Overthrow Castro. It was a complete diaster. Cuban locals were hostile to the landing so no uprising occured. Cuban troops quickly defeated the invaders. 100+ men died, and only 14 were rescued by the US navy. -
Operation Mongoose:
Aggressive covert operations against the communist government of Fidel Castro were authorized by President Kennedy. The operation was led by Air Force General Edward Lansdale. This Operation has been labelled by dissaproving sources as 'the biggest terrorist operation ever conducted'. *Noam Chomsky 1984 -
Operation Mongoose Tasks:
- Continuation of the economic blockaid of Cuba
- A ban on all Cuban imports into the US
- A ban on all US travel to Cuba
- The sinking of a Cuban merchant ship coming with goods from Europe
- Sabotaging oil drilling sites
- Invasion exercises by 40 000 US military personnel on the neighbouring Island of Puerto Rico
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Khrushchev's walk.
Khrushchev was walking along the shore of the black sea in Bulgaria, aware that over the water in Turkey American military bases were pointing nuclear missiles at the Soviet Union. It was then that he decided to threaten the U.S in a similar way; through Cuba. "Why not throw a hedgehog at Uncle Sam's pants?" He wondered, and soon put a plan in place to equalise the balance of power. -
Soviet arms in Cuba
Soviet forces deployed in Cuba. Missile bases and launch pads were under construction and due to be operational by the end of october.
Soviet weapons in Cuba included:
- 24 medium range ballistic missiles
- 16 long range ballistic missiles
- 42 11-28 jet bombers
- 42 MiG-21 jet fighters
- 24 advanced SAM surface to air missiles
- four elite combat regiments
- two tank battalions with the latest T-55 tanks
- more than 40,000 troops and personnel -
Operation Anadyr
Secret Soviet Union Operation that saw ballystic missiles deployed in Cuba -
U.S. spy plane prooves Cuba becomming a missile base
A U.S. U-2 spy plane photographs missile baes under construction in Cuba. Kennedy and his advisors needed to restrict and further build-up of weapons in Cuba, and considered four options. The decision was made to send the US navy to blockade Cuba. This blockade totaly surrounded the entire island, stopping Soviet ships from transporting any more weapons. The threat dramatically escalated when the Soviets called the United state's bluff and continued sending ships anyway. -
Khrushchev's telegrams
Both leaders wanted to resolve the situation without losing face. Khrushchev sent two telegrams to Kennedy outlining possibly negotiation options.
First telegram: suggested that he would be willing to privately disscus Soviet missiles in Cuba if the navel blockade was lifted.
Second telegram: remove Soviet missiles from cuba if America did the same in Turkey and Italy -
Kennedy's reply, The End Of The Crisis
President Kennedy offcially responded to the first telegram, but not the second. He promised to lift the navel blockade and not to invade Cuba, if the Soviet missiles were permantly removed. Secretly, Robert Kennedy met with the Soviet ambassador, and delivered and ultimatum - if the Cuban missiles were not removed the next day, the U.S would destroy them. But he then offered another solution ... -
Kennedy's reply, The End Of The Crisis
That US bases in Italy and Turkey would be removed in the next 6 months IF the Cuban missiles were remeoved first. The message was relayed to Khruschev who accepted the private deal. The crisis was over.
