Nikita Khrushchev & Cuban Missile Crisis - Term Paper Example

? s School Nikita Khrushchev & Cuban Missile Crisis Cuban Missile Crisis is an important historical event for its relevance tothe cold-war era, as it is believed to be the most intense encounter between the then Superpowers, U.S and USSR. Since both countries had a nuclear capability, a direct encounter meant the most cataclysmic war in the history of global politics. For this reason it is important to draw a cause and effect relationship between variables in this context to analyze the important factors causing this event and the outcomes. Historically, most of the accounts presenting the Cuban Missile Crisis and its resolution rhetorically give due credit to the patient and the wisdom of JFK to have resolved the issue in time and avoid nuclear war. However, this paper will aim at presenting a neutral account and will use a Soviet lens to come up with conclusions. To locate the causes triggering the event, the background of the issue needs to be understood. Many factors can be identified, for instance, the placement of U.S missiles in Turkey close to the vicinity of Soviet. Similarly, the Bay of Pigs incident caused a threat perception in the mind of Castro and in order to avoid a future attack, he sought assistance from the Soviets. Also, another reason can be understood in terms of the balance of power and the ambition of the Soviets to represent a superior vision in the world regarding the power and the image of the Soviet. Thus, as a result of these, along with many other factors Soviets placed Middle Range Ballistic Missiles in Cuba which stimulated the threat perception within the minds of the decision makers in the U.S. Consequently, JFK along with his advisors explored all available options to resolve the crisis, and agreed upon the option of the Naval Blockade, which they labeled as “Quarantine” which continued for 13 days. These 13 days of crisis were the most crucial days in the history of the Cold War; as there were many instances when the situation was almost close to war. However, owing much to the communication between JFK and Khrushchev in time, the issue was finally resolved and both parties agreed to a few conditions discussed in detail in this paper. In most of the historical texts, JFK is given the due credit for his skillful tactics and wise decision-making. Nevertheless, in my view, Khrushchev should equally be appraised, as he also took the matter very seriously and patiently communicated his terms and conditions to JFK. Thus, without appraising Khrushchev, even Castro, for their efforts in this regard the rhetoric remains incomplete. To analyze the event, its historical context needs to be discussed in detail. In this regard, the various long-term as well as short term objectives of the Missile deployment in Cuba by the Soviets can be studied, which will help us analyze the causes behind the event. The historical context of the event can be traced back to the U2 incident which occurred in May 1960, when U.S sent a spy plane into the vicinity of Soviet Union, which was both a breach in the security of the territory of the U.S.S.R, and a cause of building a trust deficit. Even after this event, despite the pressure from the hard liners, Khrushchev managed to stay calm and kept indicating his intentions of maintaining peace between the superpowers1. Preceding this dangerous event was the Bay of Pigs accounts which again proved to draw a line between the superpowers. In 1961, U.S made an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro`s government in Cuba which eventually failed. U.S trained and triggered some Cuban rebels to overthrow Fidel in an operation, however the operation immensely failed. This led towards the shattering of the image of the U.S in the world, and it further boosted the confidence of the Soviets which encouraged them to take this step. 2Also, this event was an indication of the interest of U.S in Cuba which indicated that U.S fears that Cuba can later turn out to be problematic for the U.S. Also, U.S later posed various sanctions over Cuba which further confirmed the U.S` reservations against Cuba. This gave a chance to the Soviets to further pressurize U.S, thus they thought they shouldn`t give away this opportunity to prove their worth in the international scenario, also to get their demands noticed and heard. 3 Thus, as mentioned above of the factors to deploy missiles in Cuba eventually became the concern of U.S about Cuba, and increased threat perceptions of Castro regarding the intentions of U.S. Hence, when Castro sought assistance from Khrushchev, this was also a chance for him to prove to the hardliners that he can come up as a strong world leader. Also, U.S had already deployed its missiles in Italy as well as in Turkey which were almost as close as Cuba is to America, thus Khrushchev also perceived this step as an attempt to balance the power. 4At this point, Khrushchev was keeping his national integrity and sovereignty as the most important factors in decision making. Thus, his intent was naturally to protect the Soviet territory and any kind of attack on their border. In this context, Cuba turned out to be his triumph card which he used to further pressure U.S and take his revenge from the U.S for spying in the Soviet territory. The role and participation of Khrushchev in this context was that of a wise leader who deemed his national interest of sole importance, but rather waited for the right time to take the right decision. As a result of the above factors, Khrushchev decided to finally deploy the nuclear missiles in Cuba in the spring of 1962. This operation was named as “Operation Andyr”. Having explored his memoirs, he gave the reason behind this operation as an attempt to secure the Cuban land. This reason seems to be logical enough, as U.S was already engaged in many covert operations during the time, and Cuba was their main target. They had even removed Cuba from the list of the states from the Organization of American States (OAS). Also, the heavy sanctions enhanced this threat perception, and consequently the actions of Khrushchev were inevitable.5 Thus, slowly and gradually equipment kept transferring into the vicinity of Cuba, however it was in September when Omsk was sent to Cuba which had the necessary equipment to deploy and install the medium-range Ballistic Missiles. At the same time, Soviets took a strong action by threatening the U.S publically that any attempt to deter the deployment would be met with severity and soviets would retaliate. Khrushchev also announced that the deployment of missiles is merely a defensive measure on the hands of Cuba as Soviets possessed the capability to attack the U.S directly from their own land. On 16th October 1962, a U2 plane sent off by the U.S intelligence discovered the deployment of the Missiles about 90miles in the vicinity of the U.S, thought the perception was that these won`t be operational. As soon as the information was floated to Kennedy, various options were started being considered and planning phase already began. However, Kennedy decided to go for the non-military operation as the intensity of threat and danger was too high in that situation. On 22nd October, when the U.S had already decided upon the option of quarantine, President Kennedy addressed the nation. As a response, Khrushchev lied about the missiles and kept it a secret; however this was not something unusual as Soviets were encultured to maintain an element of secret as their diplomacy efforts. On 23rd October, Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy which condemned the blockade and stated that the action would be against the international laws relating to seas and water6. However, the very next day blockade took place and some of the Soviet ship even turned away. None of the ships carrying weapons were allowed to pass ahead of the quarantine. At the same time, constant exchange of letters between Kennedy and Khrushchev was taking place, while U.S had publically negated the option of considering the rollback of weapons from Turkey as that would make the allies skeptical towards the intent of the U.S. Further, to resolve the crises U.S came up with a three point’s proposal which included the following; Soviets would remove the missiles under UN inspection, Cuba wouldn’t accept the weapons in future and U.S would promise not to attack Cuba in future. 7 Marucls was the first ship to be stopped under the quarantine imposed by the U.S. However, the Soviets didn’t retaliate and followed the lead. Khrushchev`s role is crucial in this context as his famous “first letter” to Kennedy was sent where he, very courageously yet rationally, expressed his concern over the war and indicated that he is also looking for a negotiation end, where he posed his propositions to resolve the issue. He expressed that once Kennedy would ensure that Cuba is safe and U.S wouldn’t attack Cuba in future, the issue would be resolved and the missiles in this case would be unnecessary8. Next morning the Scali-Feklisov proposal was conveyed to Khrushchev which further boosted his confidence and he now decided to revise his demands. Thus, this indicated the leadership qualities of Khrushchev even in high pressure situations as he knew how to play his triumph cards rightly. His new demands included the reciprocation of U.S by rolling back the missiles from Turkey and in turn Soviet would also make a deal that they wouldn’t attack Turkey in return. This demand was communicated by Khrushchev via Radio Moscow, and a few hours after the message another U2 plane was detected near the Soviet territory; however it managed to flow away. However, when a U2 plane was detected near Cuba, a Soviet officer fired to U2 plane which got destroyed. This was a very intense situation which apparently seems to be a blunder on part of Khrushchev as this was the time when negotiations were going on9. Yet so, Khrushchev can`t be blamed in this context as he was unaware of the development and it took place without any authorization. This incident holds immense importance in the context of Cuban missile crises as U.S now became reluctant in resolving the crises. The role of U.S becomes crucial to be studied in this context, as Kennedy was now even more unwilling to compromise Cuba to maintain peace. However, when he discussed about the options on table, war certainly seemed to be an option which can`t be chosen. Thus, Kennedy agreed upon giving up the chance of invading Cuba and overthrowing Castro, however, Kennedy agreed upon the “first letter”, but certainly not over the Turkey demand. Though even before the crises, U.S was planning on rolling back the missiles from Turkey but this was now an issue of credibility for U.S in front of its allies10. Thus, even in this case the role of Khrushchev is significant as despite the intensity of the situation direct confrontation never occurred. This implies that Khrushchev had already measured the options, and he knew how to keep the pressure over the U.S. This development marks the beginning on the most intense period in the history of the cold war. After this development, Scali and Feklisov met again to resolve the crises, and this time U.S proposed to keep the deal about rolling back the Jupiter Missiles from Turkey a secret while the demands from the first letter would be agreed upon. However, at the same time, after the U2 incident during the crises, situation at Cuba was becoming complicated and Castro was putting pressure on Khrushchev to go at war with U.S if Cuba is invaded or if negotiation isn’t reached11. The time lag during the time when the letter was sent but wasn’t communicated to Kennedy was crucial as this was the reason why there was a miscommunication causing U2 incident too. However, Khrushchev was rational enough and as soon as the new demands from U.S were posed to Khrushchev, he agreed to them as in any case he had to avoid war. The message was communicated via Radio Moscow, while there was no mention of Turkey, and officially the message was conveyed. There are many books giving a tribute to Kennedy for his problem solving skills and his leadership qualities, along with the efforts of Ex-Comm. to have successfully resolved the issue. However, Khrushchev deserved a lot of credit too, as without his efforts the resolution wouldn’t have been possible. Firstly, Khrushchev had to face a lot of pressure from the hardliners from all sides which he dealt with very rationally and smartly. He even managed to glorify his state by proving to the world that U.S.S.R is as big of a great power as is U.S, and there was now no one superpower . Also, Khrushchev broke the Soviet legacy of keeping their ego high and being secretive, rather he worked closely with Kennedy throughout the crisis. He even gave up on some of his demands to avoid war, thus he very certainly was a sane decision maker. Also, talking about the effects of the crisis, it proved to be a blessing in disguise as it gave way to the period of Detente between the superpowers, where they agreed upon peaceful coexistence, and even decided to set up a hotline between the Premiers of the two states to avoid war12. Thus, until 1980`s there was peace and stability in the world, owing much to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also, the concepts of mutually assured destruction now gained momentum and acceptance, and the idea that nuclear weapons rather prove to deter war started becoming popular. Thus, the causes of the war include the threat to Cuba from U.S and the missiles in Turkey; however, there were other reasons too. Also, Khrushchev wanted to prove to the hardliners that he has the skills to glorify his state, which he did. The effects of the war include the maintenance of peace and stability in the region, and the sustenance of the period of Detente which continued for about a decade13. However, the role of Khrushchev in this context is crucial which is often ignored by historians who give die credit to Kennedy, however without the patience and cooperation of Khrushchev resolution wouldn’t have been possible. Thus he definitely deserves some appraisal for having dealt with the issue wisely. Though there was instances where irrational behavior on the hands of Soviets was exhibited, however, that was merely due to the gaps in time period and miscommunication, and Khrushchev can`t be blamed for that. Thus, in any case, the efforts and leadership qualities of Khrushchev deserve to be appraised to a great extent, as he left his legacy in the form of the exceptional diplomatic expertise that he had exhibited during the crises. References: BYRNE, P. J. (2006). The Cuban Missile Crisis: to the brink of war. Minneapolis, Minn, Compass CARTER, E. J. (2004). The Cuban Missile Crisis. Chicago, Heinemann Library. BLIGHT, J. G., & WELCH, D. A. (1989). On the brink: Americans and Soviets reexamine the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York, Hill and Wang. MEDINA, L. M. (2002). The Cuban Missile Crisis. San Diego, Greenhaven Press. GARTHOFF, R. L. (1987). Reflections on the Cuban missile crisis. Washington, D.C., Brookings I NATHAN, J. A. (2001). Anatomy of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Westport, Conn, Greenwood Press. ABEL, E. (1966). The missile crisis. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Co. Garthoff, Raymond L. (1988) "Cuban Missile Crisis: the Soviet Story.'' Foreign Policy Fall. no. 72. 61-80. Garthoff, Raymond L., comp. "New Evidence on the Cuban Missile Crisis: Khrushchev, Nuclear Weapons, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. (1998) '' Cold War International History Project Bulletin. n. 11: 251-262. Halsall, Paul "Modern Sourcebook: Khrushchev and Eisenhower: Summit Statements May 16, 1960,'' July, 1998, (10 November 2001). Lebow, Richard N. (1998) "Was Khrushchev Bluffing In Cuba?'' Bulleting of Atomic Scientists. 44. n. 3 : 38-42. UpStart, "Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev,'' n.d., http://www.artnet.net/-upstart/khru.html> (11 November 2001). White, Mark J. (1997) Missiles in Cuba: Kennedy. Khrushchev, Castro, and the 1962 Crisis. Chicago: The American Ways Series. KENNEDY, R. F. (1969). Thirteen days: a memoir of the Cuban missile crisis. New York, W.W. Norton ALLISON, G. T. (1971). Essence of decision; explaining the Cuban missile crisis. Boston, Little, Brown. MAY, E. R., & ZELIKOW, P. (1997). The Kennedy tapes: inside the White House during the Cuban missile crisis. Cambridge, Mass, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. BRUGIONI, D. A., & MCCORT, R. F. (1991). Eyeball to eyeball: the inside story of the Cuban missile crisis. New York, Random House. GOW, C. H. (1997). The Cuban Missile Crisis. San Diego, CA, Lucent Books. CHANG, L., & KORNBLUH, P. (1992). The Cuban missile crisis, 1962: a National Security Archive documents reader. New York, The New Press. NATHAN, J. A. (1992). The Cuban missile crisis revisited. New York, St. Martin's Press. MUNTON, D., & WELCH, D. A. (2007). The Cuban Missile Crisis: a concise history. New York, Oxford University Press. CHRISP, P. (2002). The Cuban Missile Crisis. Milwaukee, WI, World Almanac Library. Read More