Cuban Missile Crisis Research Paper

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Recommended: The effect of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962

“The most terrifying moment in my life was October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis….” The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most influential events across the globe; started by the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, which shaped Communist Cuba; this was the brink of nuclear warfare between both sides that left its effects on the world. The United States and the Soviet Union were both involved in the Cold War, especially when tensions between the two reached a new high. As tensions were rising, the government of Cuba decided to become a Communist nation that would trade nuclear weaponry with the Soviet Union. The trading would almost cause all out nuclear warfare, but it was solved, leaving effects on the world. …show more content…

Cuba had officially become a Communist nation and joined the fight with the Soviet Union. This alliance would impact the Cold War and the events to come because of the short distance between the United States and Cuba, which is ninety miles off the coast of Florida. Soon, the U.S. assumed that the Soviets and Cubans were trading nuclear weaponry. The nuclear weapons would be used in case of any attack on Cuba. The assumptions of the U.S. would be confirmed on October 14, 1962. On this day, a U-2 spy plane was flying over Cuba during a routine flight check when the pilot, Rudolf Anderson, discovered the trade of nuclear weaponry. The pilot took several photographs of the nuclear trade, which were taken of the sites that contained medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. These photographs were processed and presented to the White House the next day. The photographs would lead to the next crisis of the Cold War, called the Cuban Missile …show more content…

The Soviet Union and Cuba had recently strengthened relations when Cuba became a Communist nation and the Soviets knew the United States wanted to invade Cuba to try and overthrow the government a second time. Concerned Cubans enlisted the help of the Soviet Union to help protect them with nuclear arms in case the need arose. At first, the Soviets thought that the United States would do nothing to stop the nuclear arms trade, though they were very wrong. Once it was reported to the White House, that the Soviet Union gave the Cubans missiles, action was taken. The action was decided by the Executive Committee of the National Security Council to blockade, or “quarantine”, Cuba to prevent further shipments of Soviet missiles. This quarantine would be influential in stalling the nuclear powers involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Executive Committee of the National Security Council was composed of President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, the Presidential Speech Writer, the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Under Secretary of State, the Chairman of Joint Chief of Staffs, and the former ambassador of the Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense time where the world was on the brink of nuclear war, but there were thirteen specific days that were the worst of all. The tense

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