The Cuban Missile Crisis: Eyeball to Eyeball
Uploaded by lukesworldm on Nov 16, 2000
Eyeball to Eyeball: America, Cuba and The Soviet Union
America and The Soviets again using other countries for their own warfareExcitement was high for Cuba, when Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in January 1959. With a heady mixture of nationalism and left – wing ideologies US became very cautious for its southern comrades Central and Southern America and perhaps herself. When Castro took over Cuba, the US lost valuable investments in the sugar and tobacco crops of Cuba.
Fearing the spread of communism into Americas’ backyard the US Government imposed a strict economic blockade hoping to starve Castro into US policies.
In desperation Castro turned to the soviets for balance of powers to weigh up the balance of communism ideologies.
In February 1960, Castro signed a trade pact with the Soviets, which eventually led to close diplomatic relations.
At this time the US Government became more worried that a communist superpower had ventured so close to her borders. By authority of Eisenhower, Cuban Exiles that were in the US at the time were given aid. At the same time the CIA began to train selected groups of the exiles to re – enter their homeland and over - throw Castro’s Government.
When Kennedy was sworn into parliament in 1961 he took over the proceedings with hesitation for his states security. He advised a plan to invade Cuba once again after Eisenhower’s two other invasions failed. This invasion was known well as the Bay of Pigs. In April Kennedy received reports that the invasion failed which boosted Castro’s prestige and embarrassed Kennedy of his new presidency.
When the Bay of Bigs disastrously ended it built up confidence for the soviets and Castro and lowered Kennedy into a worriment of what’s to happen next.
Early 1962 Khrushchev was convinced of Kennedy’s weakness after the capture of Gary Powers and that they had ceased to carry out U-2 reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union for the capture.
A while after the Vienna Summit the Soviets formed yet another policy with Cuba of ‘Brinkmanship’ seeing how far the Americans could be pushed before reacting. Although this strategy was a dangerous one the Soviets were thinking of the opportunities that could arise from this. One was the advantage of an east – West balance that the Soviets could start to infiltrate the Americas with their ideologies. The second and most important advantage was the stationing of nuclear missiles close to the...