President, what if we were to present to you such an ultimatum as you have presented to us by your actions. Washington, dcthe national archives presents a free series of programs in october 2012, including a special panel discussion featuring opening remarks from caroline kennedy and the new book listening in. Kennedy convened an informal group of cabinet officials and top civilian and military advisors the ex comm to consider and plan an appropriate response. Allied materials existence and location of originals. Please read the selected documents below, from the internal deliberations of the administration during the crisis. Given the analysis of the situation and the reports which have reached us, i consider an attack to be almost imminentwithin the next 24 to 72 hours. I wonder if the soviet union would ask its cuban colleague to permit a u. Yet the late cuban leader fidel castro, us president john f. Cuban missile crisis october 1962 flashcards quizlet.
National archives opens new cuban missile crisis exhibit. The aftermath thrusts players into a world ravaged by the militarypolitical confrontation between the usa and ussr in 1962. If you read british foreign office records from the 1940s, its clear they recognised that their day in the sun was over and that britain would have to be the junior partner of the united states, and sometimes treated in a humiliating way. Kennedy learned that the soviets had placed mediumrange missiles in cuba and were building more sites. A national security archive documents reader national security archive documents readers 2rev ed by peter kornbluh, laurence chang, laurence chang, peter kornbluh isbn. Free cuban missile crisis essays and papers page 5.
The game offers a different version of the events that followed the famous global standoff over the small island nation. In many cases, these materials have been gathered by the national security archive through its ownor other researchers. Printable pdf version hiresolution download larger version. Instrumental in the early stages of the cuban missile crisis, these photographs showed that the soviet union was amassing offensive ballistic missiles in cuba. A national security archive documents reader national security archive, chang, laurence, kornbluh, peter on. Missiles in cuba can beaflexible component in any secondarylevelsocial studies course, particularly u. It was a proxy conflict around cuba it began when the soviet union ussr began building missile sites in cuba in 1962. The cuban missile crisis the 1960s was the time of change, great history, and is one of the best eras that has come and gone.
The cuban missile crisis began for the united states on the morning of october 16, when president kennedy was informed of the discovery of missile sites in cuba by u2 surveillance aircraft. Dod, transcripts, secret, notes taken from transcripts of meetings of the joint chiefs of staff, octobernovember 1962. Khrushchev to kennedy october 24, 1962 cuban missile. The nuclear race had come to a breaking point during an incident in cuba, called the 2. Kennedy was informed that the soviet union was building launching sites in cuba for ballistic missiles with a range of miles. Us spy plane was shot down over cuba 27 oct 1962, military leaders pushed kennedy to attack cuba, but kennedy ignored. Cuban missile crisis speech to the united nations security. Due to the age and poor quality of some of the pdf images, a screen reader may not be able to process the images into word documents. Eisenhowers reluctant adventurism to use a favorite marxist word plunged us into the most dangerous period of the cold war. On october 15, 1962, the soviet union placed nuclear missiles in cuba, provoking the united states and sparking a conflict that would come to be known as the cuban missile crisis. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
In accordance with section 504 of the rehabilitation act. Missile crisis tostrengthenthe concealment, many decided to emplace the missiles in cuba in the spring of 1962. Mcnamara a national security archive documents reader. Read about the tense 1962 standoff between the united states and the soviet union that nearly resulted in nuclear war. In 1992, ahead of the cuban missile crisiss 30th anniversary, i was working on a story about the crisis and the cia was releasing a number of new documents, so i. With the push of a button on either side, a nuclear. Please feel free to use any or all parts of this guide as you wish. Studyiq cuban missile crisis world history free pdf download download free pdf of burning cuban missile crisis world history. The central intelligence agency is pleased to declassify and publish this collection of documents. An example of this can be noted with the collaborative efforts executed by cuba and the soviet union during the 1962 missile crisis. Designed to help policymakers, students, and interested citizens draw lessons from these critical events half a century ago, this site not only provides background on the crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster in october 1962 but also offers tools to understand how. We were in our third year, none of us 15 yet, and we were walking in the valley of the.
Cuban missile crisis, 1962 central intelligence agency. Kennedy warned that any attempt by the soviet union to place nuclear weapons in cuba would be seen as a threat to the united states. Lessons drawn from the cuban missile crisis, or interpretations of it, continue to. October 22, 1962 president kennedys cuban missile crisis oval office address. Graham allison cuban missile crisiscuban missile crisis. T he m ost anxious w eek of the c old w ar the crisis began on 22 o ctober 1962 w hen america announced that spy flights over c u b a h a d revea led th e co n stru ctio n o f b a ses for soviet m edium range m issiles, and that a m erica w ould im pose a naval blockade on cuba to prevent the delivery of further missiles. Cia documents on the cuban missile crisis, 1962 declassified version, 1992, by united states central intelligence agency, ed. The cuban missile crisis article about the cuban missile. Letter to nikita khrushchev from fidel castro regarding defending cuban air space. Soviet leader nikita khrushchev decided to install ballistic missiles in cuba although they had made a promise to the u. The cuban missile crisis, 1962 edited by laurence chang and peter kornbluh foreword by robert s. Thirtysix years after the cuban missile crisis, these declassified documents stand as. Semyonivanov, chief of the general staffs chief oper ations directorate, was in overall charge.
Philip brenner july 9, 2008 the 1962 cuban missile crisis. Cuban missile crisis world history free pdf download. Kennedy and soviet premier nikita khrushchev, were able to prevent the worstcase scenario from taking place. Isbn 1565840445 table of contents ordering information. The cuban missile crisis the belfer center for science and. Second holocaust had it not been for the downing of the u2, the cuban missile crisis of october 1962 might never have come about. The purposes of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capacity against the western hemisphere. Cuban missile crisis, 1962, major cold war cold war, term used to describe the shifting struggle for power and prestige between the western powers and the communist bloc. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The cuban missile crisis, 1962reproduces on microfiche over 15,000 pages of rarelyseen documents from the highest levels of government. This summary guide, and published detailed catalogues available in hard copy in the centres reading room, scott armstrong, nicole ball, and thomas s blanton eds. Cuban missile crisis of 1962 was a major cold war confrontation between the united states and the soviet union.
If so, i can assure you that we can direct them to the proper places very quickly. During the cuban missile crisis nuclear weapons in cuba were aimed at the us, and at the same time nuclear weapons in the us were aimed at cuba. Cia reference photograph of soviet mediumrange ballistic missile ss4 in u. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. The threat of imminent destruction during the cuban missile crisis led both nations leaders to. Kennedys oval office address during the cuban missile crisis. I have just received your letter, and have also acquainted myself with the text of your speech of october 22 regarding cuba i must say frankly that measures indicated in your statement constitute a serious threat to peace and to the security of nations. Indeed, on the fever chart of these fortyfive years.
The cuban missile crisis 1 the cuban missile crisis john f. If others cuban missile crisis, 1962 is printed by machine on textured canvas, it takes about 5 working days to your address. Others cuban missile crisis, 1962 painting cuban missile. Turkey italy these countries had missile bases which could launch medium range ballistic missiles mrbms at russia brief explanation the cuban missile crisis was a confrontation between kennedy and the united states and khrushchevs soviet union in october of 1962 involving the soviet unions use of cuba as a nuclear missile base. A striking example of this was in 1962, the time of the cuban missile crisis. Kennedy, cuban missile crisisrelated film screenings, and a program with the authors of the armageddon letters. These documents are from the foreign relations of the united states series, which i have recommended to many of you for your papers. The cuban missile crisis of 1962 leighton, richard m. As soviet ships headed toward cuba with missiles on board, president kennedy assembled a group of highlevel personnel. Thirtysix years after the cuban missile crisis, these declassified documents stand as testament to just how dangerously close the world came to nuclear destruction in 1962, and challenge the official history of the event as a model of crisis management. Cia special national intelligence estimate, major consequences of certain u.
By the time of the crisis in october 1962, total nuclear weapons in each countrys stockpile numbered approximately 26,400 for the united states and 3,300 for the soviet union. Kennedys handling of the cuban missile crisis in 1962, morning edition 31 nbc nightly news, 101002, meeting in havana commemorates 40th anniversary of cuban missile crisis. The program uses documentary footage to reconstruct step by stepthe events which brought the united states and the soviet union to the brink of nuclear war in. The cuban missile crisis, 1962 national security archive. The collection in this volume includes many of cias most important documents on the cuban missile crisis. Cuban missile crisis speech to the united nations security council 1962. Kennedy 1 overview on october 16, 1962, president john f. When people think of a time where rebellious, free spirited people played a part, the 1960s come to mind.
If the cuban missile crisis was the most dangerous passage of the cold war, the most dangerous moment of the cuban missile crisis was the evening of saturday, 27 october 1962, when the resolution of the crisiswar or peace appeared to hang in the balance. Harvard kennedy schools belfer center has created this site as a resource for the cuban missile crisis. As we come up towards the 50th anniversary of the cuban missile crisis, there are several new books coming out commemorating the crisis, adding new information and interpretation, and taking fresh looks at what history remembers as the most dangerous crisis of the nuclear age. These historical documents are pdf images of formerly classified carbon paper and reports that have been declassified. In russia, it is known as the caribbean crisis russian.
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