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The Cuban Missile Crisis was a thirteen-day military and political standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union government over the installation of nuclear-armed missiles by the USSR in Cuba. After private negotiations, the threat of nuclear war was neutralized.
See the fact file below for more information on the Cuban Missile Crisis or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Cuban Missile Crisis worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Prior to the Crisis
- On January 1, 1959, after overthrowing Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar through a revolution, Fidel Castro took over the military government in Cuba and aligned himself with the Soviet Union. The alliance with the USSR did not come in an instant. In late 1961, Castro felt that the Soviets lacked revolutionary boldness, thus leaving him to begin talking with China. Alarmed with the Sino-Cuban alliance, the Soviet Union gave in to Castro’s request for SA-2 anti-aircraft missiles and soviet troops. Since then, the Soviets have provided military and economic aid to Castro’s government.
- For the next two years of Castro’s presidency, he reduced American influence in the Cuban economy by nationalizing major American industries like sugar and mining.
- As a result, Americans banned the importation of Cuban sugar to the United States, collapsing the sugar industry for a little while until the USSR agreed to buy the imports. In addition, the U.S. State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) attempted to end Castro’s power.
- In April 1961, the CIA launched an all-out invasion of Cuba through 1,400 American-trained Cuban exiles who had fled to the U.S. after the revolution. In less than 24 hours, Castro won the Bay of Pigs invasion.
- The failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion humiliated the Kennedy administration and bolstered Soviet interests in Cuba.
- Under Operation Mongoose, President Kennedy and the CIA devised a program to oust Castro’s communism.
Soviet-US Relations
- When John F. Kennedy won the elections in 1960, there was a missile gap between the US and the USSR. In 1961, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev viewed Kennedy as a weak leader following his response to the Berlin Crisis. Khrushchev told his son Sergei that Kennedy would only fuss and more fuss on Cuba but would then agree.
- To counter the gap, Khrushchev deployed more strategic missiles in Cuba in May 1962. Moreover, Khrushchev planned to integrate Allied control of West Berlin into Communist East Germany. The Soviets believed that if the US would do nothing about Cuba, they could also do the same in West Berlin. Khrushchev’s involvement in Cuba was his attempt to level the playing field.
- On August 30, 1962, a U2 plane operated by the Strategic Air Command of the US Air Force was said to have mistakenly flown over the Soviet Far East territory, Sakhalin Island.
- At the same time, the United States and the USSR were engaged in the Cold War, which lasted until 1991.
- The Cold War, which started in 1945, was a series of political, technological, and economic clashes between the U.S. and the Soviets.
October 1962: The Crisis
- On October 9, 1962, the Kennedy administration reauthorized the reconnaissance missions over Cuba. However, poor weather delayed the mission.
- On October 14, 1962, an American U-2 spy plane operated by Air Force Pilot Richard Heyser passed over Cuban airspace and photographed a Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missile.
- The following day, the CIA’s National Photographic Interpretation Center reviewed and analyzed the photographs.
- On October 16, 1962, JFK immediately gathered together a group of officials and military advisors to form the executive committee, also known as ExCom. Members of ExCom felt the urgency of the situation since the missiles were installed just 90 miles south of Florida. They analyzed that from the launch point, missiles could easily target any parts of the eastern United States. Attorney General Robert Kennedy confirmed that the Soviet missiles in Cuba were a direct and legitimate threat. Then vice president Lyndon B. Johnson and a member of the EXCOMM laid down possible courses of action.
- Possible courses included:
- Do nothing since the Soviet missile threat was not new
- Use of diplomatic pressures to remove the missiles
- secret negotiation with Castro to split from the USSR
- Full invasion of Cuba
- Airstrike attacks on missile sites
- Naval blockade to prevent missiles from arriving in Cuba
- On October 18, 1962, Attorney General Kennedy met with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and was informed that the Soviets were only aiding Cuba in growing crops and that missiles were installed primarily for defense. To prevent a panic, JFK did not reveal the situation to the American public.
- After several meetings, ExComm suggested quarantining Cuba. Robert Kennedy informed his brother, who was in Chicago, about the ExComm suggestion. At 3:00 pm on October 22, President JFK appeared on television and addressed the American people that a missile installation was discovered in Cuba. In response, he ordered a naval blockade and the removal of missiles on the Soviet end. The other plan considered was OPLAN 316, which involved a full invasion of Cuba using the American Air Force, Navy, and Army. On the same day, at 7:00 pm, JFK addressed the American public on the discovery of the missiles in Cuba. During the speech, directive DEFCON 3 placed USS Newport News and USS Leary for the blockade.
- On October 23, Khrushchev ordered Soviet ships to stop in the Atlantic to avoid confrontation with the U.S. Navy. After a day, however, he refused to remove missiles in Cuba and accused JFK of initiating nuclear war with the blockade.
- On October 24, Ambassador George Wildman Ball drafted a message that the US was considering the withdrawal of nearly obsolete missiles in Italy in return for Soviet withdrawal in Cuba.
- By October 25, the U.S. Air Force had increased flights over Cuba while the ExComm suggested an invasion of Cuba. On the other hand, Castro reasserted that Cuba had the right to self-defense.
- On October 26, convinced of a possible American invasion, Castro wrote to Khrushchev and appealed for a pre-emptive nuclear strike.
- On the 27th, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if JFK agreed not to invade Cuba. Kennedy agreed to the proposal and also quietly removed missile installations in Turkey. Robert Kennedy described Khrushchev’s message as “very long and emotional.”
End of the Crisis
- The thirteen-day tension between the USSR and the U.S. was diffused through diplomatic communications, with both leaders constantly communicating through exchanged letters and other means.
- On October 28, Khrushchev went live on Radio Moscow, announcing his agreement with JFK, thus ending the crisis. On the same day, JFK had telephone conversations with former US Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman.
- In order to prevent similar situations in the future, a direct hotline was installed, facilitating direct communication between Washington and Moscow the following year.
- As a result, Castro was upset with Khrushchev because he was not consulted before removing the missiles in Cuba, which deteriorated Cuba-Soviet relations.
- On November 2, 1962, JFK addressed the US public about the dismantlement process of missile bases in the Caribbean.
- The Soviets were perceived to be retreating from the situation, causing the downfall of Khrushchev two years later.
Worldly Facts
- Operation Anadyr was the Soviet code name for secretly installing missiles in Cuba.
- Operation Mongoose, also known as the Cuban Project, was a CIA operation commissioned during the last year of President Eisenhower. It was officially authorized by JFK after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, which was meant to remove Communist power in Cuba.
- Maskirovka was a strategy employed by the Soviets for Operation Anadyr. It literally means ‘denial and deception’ in Russian.
- A blockade is an act of sealing a place or territory to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving. A naval blockade was enforced by JFK, but they preferred to use the word ‘quarantine’ to avoid a declaration of war terms.
Cuban Missile Crisis Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Cuban Missile Crisis across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was a thirteen-day military and political standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union government over the installation of nuclear-armed missiles by the USSR in Cuba. After private negotiations, the threat of nuclear war was neutralized.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Cuban Missile Crisis Facts
- Famous People
- The Year 1962
- Let’s Make a Deal
- Thirteen Days
- Hot Cold War Web
- Words of Crisis
- Washington-Moscow
- Ink My Word
- Map Analysis
- End of Crisis
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Link will appear as Cuban Missile Crisis Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 25, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.