The Cuban Missile Crisis: Heating Up the Cold War

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This mission was set to overthrow Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, but failed horribly. Despite his victory, Castro knew that a full invasion of Cuba by the U.S. was inevitable. Cleverly, Castro declared Cuba a socialist republic, gaining the support of the Soviet Union (Kochan). Khrushchev and Cuban leader Fidel Castro agreed to place strategic nuclear missiles secretly in Cuba. Like Castro, Khrushchev felt that a U.S. invasion of Cuba was imminent, and that to lose Cuba would do great harm to the communist cause, especially in Latin America. He said he wanted to confront the Americans "with more than words...the logical answer was missiles." (Weldes 29) This occurrence led up to the construction of the weaponry resulting in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
After he was informed of the U-2 photos of the Cuban missiles, President John F. Kennedy called for a meeting. He gathered a small assemblage of diplomatic officials to discuss the current Crisis with, in hopes of finding a solution. ...

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could have been obliterated at the push of a few buttons. The Soviet Union’s surface-to-surface air missiles, IRBMs (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles) outfitted with nuclear warheads, and the United State’s liquid-fueled Jupiter missiles and Minutemen missiles were prepared to bring Hell upon those unfortunate enough to meet the deadly content they all held. Honestly, nobody knew exactly for sure what the result would be had so many atomic bombs been fired, but scientists have a strong feeling that a nuclear exchange between the Untied States and Russia would ultimately end all life on Earth.
With utter fear in the pits of their hearts, in all nations, people of the world ...

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