Cuban Missile Crisis

You should be moving forward on the research paper on the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this module, you must submit an Abstract. The following website provides information about creating an effective abstract:

Purdue Owl (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
The Abstract should be about 150-250 words in length and summarize the main points you plan to cover in your paper and the main issues/themes/conclusions you plan to draw.
Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.
Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.” Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.” Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”
Read About Project 2: Cuban Missile Crisis
For this project, you should imagine that it is October 1962, and you are a member of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. The chairman, Robert Kennedy, has asked you to write a memo justifying a course of action to be taken by President Kennedy.
The USSR placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, and the Soviet government lied to President Kennedy about putting offensive weapons on the island. The Soviet Union assured the United States that it was only sending military aid to Fidel Castro to protect against an invasion, like the failed Bay of Pigs operation of April 1961. The placement of missiles with nuclear warheads was seen as changing the strategic balance. American military and political leaders agreed on the need to have the missiles removed. The president agonized over how to accomplish this objective, which had military, diplomatic, and domestic political consequences. He was haunted by the Munich analogy of appeasement of aggressive dictators and the Guns of August analogy of military actions leading to world war, as occurred in 1914. The president decided to call the top officials in his administration, as well as some former officials from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, together to advise him on what course of action to pursue. The 4 options below emerged as the most feasible responses by the United States to the perceived threat of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. Advocate for 1 of the following options; point out the reasons why your choice achieves American objectives, and highlight the weaknesses of the other options.
You should choose to advocate for 1 of the following options:
• Blockade/Quarantine This is the topic I selected
• Airstrike
• Invasion
• Negotiations
The project will require research and the use of a combination of sources: Internet resources, articles, books, and primary documents. You need to build a case and include footnotes/endnotes and a bibliography using American Psychological Association or Chicago/Turabian format. The paper should be a minimum of 1,500 (6 pages) words.
Remember that, although this is written in a memo format, it is intended to be a research paper.
You will submit your choice of topic in Module 3.

M3A2: Topic of Project 2: Cuban Missile Crisis
Willie D. Short IV
Excelsior College

If I was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. The chairman, Robert Kennedy, has asked me to write a memo justifying a course of action to be taken by President Kennedy. I would have chosen the Blockade/Quarantine.
The reason is we are still showing a sign of force and strength, but still leaving room for other resolutions. If we went with Invasions and Airstrike, then this will lead to war. With this in the public eyes we still show that we are still strong and not weak and that no lives have been lost. But we also leave room for other opportunities to solve the situation instead of a war.

M5A1: Cuban Missile Crisis
Willie D. Short IV
Excelsior College

Annotated Bibliography
History.com. (2010). Cuban missile crisis – Cold War. HISTORY.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis
In October of 1962, the U.S. and the Soviet Union had a political and military standoff that lasted for 13 days. At the heart of the dispute, was the discovery of a covert installation of nuclear armed Soviet missiles in Cuba- a country that lies ninety miles south of the U.S., off the cost of the state of Florida- by a U2 spy plane. President J. F. Kennedy immediately informed the public of the Soviet actions and America’s countermeasures. The establishment of a naval blockade on Cuba pushed the world to the brink of an all-out nuclear war, as the U.S. showed full determination to neutralize the threat. This was avoided at the last minute when the U.S. pledged not to invade Cuba in exchange for the withdrawal of the nuclear arms from the island nation.
The New York Times. (1962). U.S. imposes arms blockade on Cuba on finding offensive missile sites; Kennedy ready for Soviet showdown. Archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/10/19/home/crisis-23.html
This primary document is a picture of how President J. F. Kennedy handled the increase of tension after the discovery of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. It details his nationally televised speech that exposed the Soviets’ hidden intentions in the island. In unusually blunt language, he branded the stockpiling of nuclear weapons in Cuba as a “clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace.” Although he set up diplomatic plans in motion to remove these weapons through the U.N., he was fully prepared for direct confrontation to challenge the Soviets. This culminated in a naval and air quarantine of Cuba that received the full support of Washington.
Office of the Historian, United States Department of State. (2017). Milestones: 1961–1968 – The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962. History.state.gov. Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis
The Cuban missile crisis at the height of the Cold War was fraught with several errors. The negotiations that occasioned the crisis were highly unconventional as they did not involve the usual diplomatic channels. Instead, they took place directly between the White House and Kremlin, completely undercutting the established foreign policy process. The failed operation, Bay of Pigs, which aimed at toppling Fidel Castro’s regime compelled the Soviet Union to intervene through smuggling of nuclear missiles into Cuba. A routine surveillance over Cuba revealed the illegal activities ongoing in the country, bringing the U.S. and Soviets to the brink of nuclear conflict. President J. F. Kennedy settled on a neutral plan of action, a quarantine of the Cuban island, rather than instigate or aggravate the situation into further conflict. This led to negotiations that ended up in the signing of a nuclear Test Ban Treaty by the U.S. and Soviet Union.
Anderson, J., & Atta, D. (1987). Cuban missile crisis facts under wraps. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/10/09/cuban-missile-crisis-facts-under-wraps/475b7589-f1d6-4fc7-9b21-46a97386d7d8/?utm_term=.405e1e7b2838
Several facts from the Cuban nuclear crisis were kept hidden from the public by U.S. State Department. The reason for this cover-up was because the government did not wish for the public to know that the Soviet Union, by 1987, had far more numerous and sophisticated, missiles that had caused the crisis. The negotiated truce of 1962 had, in fact, been public relations that made the deal seem like a diplomatic triumph. The U.S. government had reached a compromise that allowed the Soviets to keep several other offensive weapons due to America’s tunnel vision approach that made them overlook other weapons in its bid to force the removal of nuclear warheads. Since those negotiations, the Soviets had again placed far superior military fighter jets and bombers in Cuba as well as moved six nuclear weapons through the island, leading the public with numerous questions as to the nature of the negotiated agreement from 1962.
Library of Congress. (2016). Revelations from the Russian Archives- Cold War: Cuban missile crisis. Loc.gov. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/colc.html
This archive reveals the behind-the-scenes deliberations by the soviet leader in the run up to placing nuclear warheads in Cuba. It delineates the official and back channel communications that took place during the seven days of negotiations to resolve the crisis. Several letters were exchanged via telegram to straighten out the parties’ demands before the situation was calmly diffused.
Mikoi︠a︡n, S., & Savranskaya, S. (2014). The Soviet Cuban missile crisis: Castro, Mikoyan, Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the missiles of November (1st ed., pp. 1-616). Cold War International History Project: Stanford University Press.
In November 1962, Cuba was becoming the first Latin American nuclear nation. A month after the 13-day nuclear crisis had blown over, the U.S. thought it had resolved the situation. However, the most powerful warheads, the Lunas and FKRs, were never evacuated from Cuba. The Americans had no knowledge of them, and therefore, never negotiated for the removal of the 12 additional nuclear warheads and six nuclear bombs. The Soviets and Cubans kept them there as a countermeasure in the event that President J. F. Kennedy’s Executive Committee of the National Security Council went against their agreement and invaded Cuba. Deputy Prime Minister Anastas Mikoyan played a highly instrumental role in further negotiations after relations between the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, and the Soviet leader broke down. He helped avert further crisis but also ended Cuba’s hope of becoming a nuclear nation.

Project Outline
Introduction
Background of the Cuban Crisis
The Cold War: Relations between U.S. and Soviet Union
West Berlin
Arms Race
Cuba- Soviet Union Relation
Discovery of Nuclear Missiles
Resolution of the Crisis
Conclusion

References
Anderson, J., & Atta, D. (1987). Cuban missile crisis facts under wraps. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/10/09/cuban-missile-crisis-facts-under-wraps/475b7589-f1d6-4fc7-9b21-46a97386d7d8/?utm_term=.405e1e7b2838
History.com. (2010). Cuban missile crisis – cold war. HISTORY.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis
Library of Congress. (2016). Revelations from the Russian archives- cold war: Cuban missile crisis. Loc.gov. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/colc.html
Mikoi︠a︡n, S., & Savranskaya, S. (2014). The Soviet Cuban missile crisis: Castro, Mikoyan, Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the missiles of November (1st ed., pp. 1-616). Cold War International History Project: Stanford University Press.
Office of the Historian, United States Department of State. (2017). Milestones: 1961–1968 – the Cuban missile crisis, October 1962. History.state.gov. Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis
The New York Times. (1962). U.S. imposes arms blockade on Cuba on finding offensive missile sites, Kennedy Ready for Soviet Showdown. Archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/10/19/home/crisis-23.html