Cold War Tensions (1960s)

Cold War Tensions (1960s)

Background: The Cold War

The Cold Ward was a period of tension between the US and USSR that took place between 1947 and 1991

Overall, it made great political, economic, and social changes in the US

Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty

Cuban Missile Crisis

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The US and Soviet Leaders began discussing a ban on nuclear testing during the 1950s, concerned that the nuclear arms race was becoming too dangerous

The US (and Britain) wanted on-sight inspections while the USSR opposed this, eventually they reached an agreement in 1960

An American plane over the USSR brought an end to negotions in May of 1960

The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 14-28, 1962 was a 13 day political and military standoff between Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s (1894-1971) of the Soviet Union

This took place during the midst of the Cold War and this event was the closest occurrence the U.S and the Soviet Union came to major nuclear conflict

Occurred as a result of the discovery of installed nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba only 90 miles away from American waters

Americas corporations owned almost half of Cuba’s sugar plantations and the majority of its cattle, ranches, mines and utilities.

Fulgencio Batista was a corrupt and repressive dictator in Cuba. However, he was an anticommunist ally to the U.S. and supported American involvement in Cuba’s affairs.

Fidel Castro was a cuban nationalist who disapproved the role that Americans took in Cuba’s affairs and business, and wanted Cubans to assume more control over their nation. (Popular slogan: “Cuba. Si. Yanquis. No.”)

In 1959, Fidel Castro drove his army into Havana and overthrew General Fulgencio Batista.

Tensions grew amongst americans due to the close location of Havana (100 miles away from the U.S.) and their alliance with General Batista.

Problem

Background (before 1962)

Background

• In 1959 Cuba’s revolutionary war made it a tiny communist country right near the U.S
• That same year, the U.S made a deal with Turkey’s leaders to put U.S nuclear weapons in turkey to fire at Russia if needed.
• (let's call nuclear weapons "nukes")
• leftist leader Fidel Castro (1926-) aligned himself with Soviet Union.
• Under Castro, Cuba grew dependent on the Soviets for military and economic aid.
• U.S. and the Soviets (and their allies) were engaged in the Cold War (1945-91)

For the next 2 years, the U.S. state Department and the CIA attempted to push Castro from power.

Likewise Castro wanted to reduce American influence in the island.

He nationalized American-dominated industries such as sugar and mining, introduced land reform schemes and called on other Latin American governments to act with more autonomy.

In response, early in 1960 President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to recruit 1,400 Cuban exiles living in Miami and begin training them to overthrow Castro.

Back to 1962

NTBT Signed: August 5, 1963

• October 1962: soviet nukes are found in Cuba
• (just like ours in Turkey)
• Soviets thought it was a good idea. Might prevent further U.S aggression (Bay of Pigs Invasion)
• The U.S joint chief told JFK this was a good occasion to get rid of Cuba’s government
• how? with a U.S invasion
• JFK said no because nukes were scary
• “If we struck Cuba, Russia might think attacking us would be the right thing.”
• It could lead to a nuclear war, which no one wanted

In May 1960, Castro established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union

As a result, the United States prohibited the importation of Cuban sugar (which compromised 80% of their sugar exports).

To prevent the Cuban economy from collapsing the USSR agreed to buy the sugar.

John F. Kennedy believed that masterminding the Cuban leaders removal would show China, Russia, and the skeptical Americans his commitment to winning the Cold War. However, he did not want Soviets to see this as an act of war and retaliate.

The CIA would keep the U.S. involvement in the invasion a secret.

Negotiations about the treaty resumed in June of 1963

The treaty was finally signed on August 5 in Moscow by U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk , Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and British Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home

Essentially, it prohibited weapons tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater but permitted underground testing and required no control posts, no on-site inspection, and no international supervisory body

Combating the Issue

Brainstorming

JFK's Plan

Major Rudolf Anderson

The Bay of Pigs Invasion

• October 27, an American reconnaissance plane was shot down over Cuba
• U.S. invasion force was readied in Florida.
• The 35-year-old pilot is considered the only U.S. combat casualty of the Cuban missile crisis.

• before invading, he wanted to try something else
• The night of Oct. 22 he announced on TV his plan:
• He’d stop soviet ships to Cuba with a strict naval blockade
• he would deliver an ultimatum that the existing missiles be removed.
• Khrushchev of the Soviet Union said this was risking war.
• “You can’t just stop our ships, the blockade will be ignored.”
• When U.S got the message the night of October 23, defense went up to DEFCON 2, the highest nuke alert in history.
• Basically, the U.S was a step from launching nuclear weapons
• Blockade began! Stoped boats! No one knew what would happen

• KGB agent (in the U.S) named Fomin said “let’s just try a peaceful trade before this escalates.”
• He said if the U.S promised to leave Cuba alone, maybe then the Soviets could promise to remove the defensive missiles.
• But Khrushchev had another idea for the missile recall to work
• he said the U.S should leave Cuba be and take their nukes out of Turkey.

The Invasion Part 2

Outcomes

The Invasion Part 1

On April 15th, 1961, a group of Cuban exiles took off from Nicaragua in a squadron of American B-26 bombers, painted to look like stolen Cuban planes, and conducted a strike against Cuban airfields. ( They wanted to destroy Castro’s air force to make it impossible for his military to resist the invaders.)

However, Castro knew about the raid and moved his planes out of harm’s way.

Kennedy began to suspect that the plan the CIA had promised would be “both clandestine and successful” might in fact be “too large to be clandestine and too small to be successful.”

Lasting Results

Castro was not overthrown.

Although John F Kennedy did not want to give away Cuba to the communists, he refused to start a fight that could lead to World War III.

He started operation Mongoose, which was an espionage and sabotage campaign in Cuba.

In 1962, the Cuban missile crisis raised American-Cuban-Soviet tensions even further.

On April 17, 1961 the Cuban exile soldiers invaded the Bay of Pigs (isolated spot on the island’s southern shore).

The invasion was a disaster.

The CIA had wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible, but a radio station on the beach broadcast every detail of the operation to listeners across Cuba.

Unexpected coral reefs sank some of the exiles’ ships as they pulled into shore, and backup paratroopers landed in the wrong place.

Castro’s troops outnumbered the invaders on the beach, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting; 114 were killed and over 1,100 were taken prisoners.

This would give way to future discussion of limiting nuclear weaponry even more

In 1996, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was passed by the UN, prohibiting undergroung testing as well

Today, only 3 countries have made nuclear tests (India, Pakistan and North Korea); Israel does not make a claim to its nuclear weaapons

Results and its impact

• Crisis ends on these terms
• Soviet Union removes nuclear missiles from Cuba
• U.S promises not to invade Cuba
• U.S were to remove missile installations in Turkey

• Lead the Soviet Union on a massive military build up (US had more powerful missles so the USSR had to step up their game)
• Creation of telephone hotline
• set up to give instant contact between the two leaders if there was a crisis
• Led to the signing of two nuclear related treaties