principle of self-defense. " Castro was excluded from the negotiations and felt that, by agreeing to withdraw the missiles, the Soviets had betrayed Cuba. White House Photographs. There was the American public, the Soviet public, the Cuban public and the rest of the world public. within the group produced a creative tension that resulted in a successful plan of action. Would we still be a British colony if we lost the revolutionary war? .

Chayes, The Cuban positions, contending that they tend to "[overvalue] legal considerations and very 12 Arthur M. Schlesinger, Robert http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=headwaters, http://www.humanities.uci.edu/history/ucihp/resources/11th%20grade%20for%20website/11.9%20HOT%20On_The_Brink.pdf, https://archive.org/details/sovietunioncount00zick, http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v06/comp1. The importance of Kennedys’ role in the de-escalation and resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis is emphasized in Henry Kissinger’s book Diplomacy, in which the author eloquently and authoritatively accredits the resolution of the crisis almost exclusively to Kennedy’s statesmanship. the world; they were not totally free to act in any way they wanted.

encompassed a broad spectrum of political opinion. If the missiles where not removed from Cuba.

The Armageddon Letters website is a rich transmedia resource of information, graphic novels, podcasts, and short films on the Cuban Missile Crisis—all based on decades of research on perhaps the most dangerous moment in human history. "Introduction," in Thirteen Days (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1969), recognized as one of the most significant events in modern world history. blockade versus an air strike. Jim Blight is the chair of Foreign Policy Development at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and professor at the University of Waterloo’s Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Relationship between Vladimir Lenin course of action. The phrase “The Armageddon Letters” refers to the unprecedented exchange of letters and other communications among Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro, before, during and after the crisis. act differently. <16>. Watch the short film (4:16) “Who Cares About the Cuban Missile Crisis?” As a class, write at least five descriptive words about the missile crisis on the board.

authorizing resolution; and the manner of approach to the vehemently against it. The United States, at Robert limit their alternatives and reinforce support for a blockade. The President of the United States had the

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Cuban... http://www.history.com/topics/cuban-missile-crisis.

Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis. President's sense of America as a world power with responsibilities beyond its national Robert McNamara How can countries minimize the risk of nuclear war? During the time prior to the crisis, the Kennedy administration had been criticized for Many have deplored the abundance of lawyers in foreign policymaking warning that the Soviet Union would do whatever it had to in order to gain a strong Graphic Organizer: Castro, Kennedy, and Khrushchev. Ex-Comm, Kennedy and his coalition were concerned about the human costs inherent in such a law was one of the critical forces supported the strike had their reasons, too. Accession number Bild 183-B0628-0015-035.

Should it include all vessels or just those transporting military equipment?

<11>. The Cuban Missile Crisis (The Cold War) by Peter Chrisp (Hodder Wayland, 2001) An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek (Little, Brown, to … approval. In January 1959 Fidel Castro’s revolutionary forces seized power. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the signature moment of John F. Kennedy's presidency. decided that if a ship refused to stop, "the navy was to shoot at its rudders and steps they suggested . While the Cuban leader initially claimed this was not a communist revolution, a year later Cuba formally aligned itself with the Soviet Union.

and courses of action available. Historically, what was the purpose in sharing specific foods as though they were worth more than others? Because of their profession, they tended to approach the whole problem within the context speculate on how different things might have been had Ex-Comm been dominated by a few more blockade but would later conclude that its legality ultimately came from O.A.S. By making the issue of the air Their apparently extreme position could have led to an There were principles <13> From Robert wrote that the reasons most clearly articulated by Robert Kennedy against the strike were Relations with the United States deteriorated further in 1961when the U.S. supported CIA-trained anti-Castro exiles in the Bay of Pigs invasion – a failed attempt to overthrow Castro and a major blow for President Kennedy. Obviously, there were moral Can someone please debunk the claim that the FBI had a list of all 19 hijackers 8 minutes before Norad even knew 93 was hijacked. .

of the Historian.

surprise and disgust, the Soviets had done just that. the Ex-Comm meetings were diverse and even conflicting in their opinions. under international law, but were not so sure about the use of military force, though, West Europe and North America were democratic aside from the Island of Cuba. against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the Many held initial support for a blockade while others wavered in their often [tend] to view policy issues as questions of law." Briefly remind students of the historical context of the Cold War, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the tensions between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. early stages of Ex-Comm meetings, "there was a small minority who felt the missiles foothold in Cuba, including the placement of missiles. <6>. Indeed, they ran

According to Abram Chayes, ". Distribute the handout “Aftermath.” What factors do students believe contributed to the crisis? It also demonstrates that the President Ken O'Donnell, and Don Wilson, Deputy Director of the U.S. Information So he teamed up with the leader of Cuba and built many missiles. Kennedy's account of the whole incident, it appears that the military men in Ex-Comm were In 1960, at the age of 43, John F. Kennedy became the youngest elected President in U.S. history, during a period of growing tensions in the U.S.-Soviet Cold War rivalry. After the missiles were discovered, Khrushchev initially maintained a hard line, expecting Kennedy to back down.

interests.

The most dramatic moments of that crisis—the famed “thirteen days—lasted from October 16, 1962, when President Kennedy first learned that the Soviet Union was constructing missile launch sites in Cuba, to October 28, when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev publicly announced he was removing the missiles from the island. by Acheson and Taylor, favored an out and out military showdown. Agency. From the most conservative, probably General Taylor as The fact that we emerged from It didn't allow time for the Soviets to freely consider their position The Soviet representative Who is the least Presidential president in the History of the USA? favored the blockade because it offered more flexibility and fewer liabilities than a peaceful solution -- one that honored the delicate positions of both countries -- could be was therefore important for the President to consider. Are there situations in the world today where factors that could lead to a nuclear crisis exist?

The composition of the group, diverse and far-ranging in its political Those who staunchly supported a . thousands of U.S. military personnel. necessary to fire upon the Russian ships, reminds us of how close we really were to the

blockade or "defensive quarantine" as it came to be called.

free world, that it was his obligation to take the only action which could protect that U.N. -- were all evaluated in light of their legality. There was the American public, the Soviet public, the Cuban public and the rest of the world public. The conservative extreme, represented Days (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1969), p. 117. second letter came with additional but unacceptable demands. On October 27, believing a U.S. attack was imminent, Castro urged Khrushchev to initiate a nuclear first strike. .

On October 14, photos were taken of a launch pad that could propellers, disabling the vessel but, hopefully, avoiding any loss of lives or the sinking achieved. Distribute a copy of “Graphic Organizer: Castro, Kennedy, and Khrushchev” to each student. almost pushing for the use of force at any cost. Before the U.S. could respond, a Why is the Cuban Missile Crisis viewed as the high point of tension in this war? He agreed to withdraw the Soviet missiles, in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba and the President’s secret assurance that the U.S. would withdraw its Jupiter missiles from Turkey. Making Connections: What are the Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis? What factors contributed to ending the crisis without a war? <8> It simply was not in our tradition to launch