In October of 1962, a 13 day standoff between the world's two superpowers surrounding the communist island of cuba almost led to a global nuclear war.
Cuba's growing reliance on the Soviet Union, and Fidel Castro's increasing hunger for global power led to Cuba's encouragement of a move that could lead to a global nuclear war. 1962 marked the beginning of the shipment of nuclear missiles to Cuba, after the U.S. had placed missiles in Turkey. It is said in Nikita Krushchev's memoirs that the idea to send missiles to Cuba was not only to provide a "defense" against the developing of the United States, but also to protect Cuba against another possible invasion like the Bay of Pigs. No matter what the motive was, by October 22nd, the presence of Soviet missiles has been noticed by the U.S., and the Cuban Missile Crisis has been started. A stale mate between two great superpowers has begun.
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Castro's intervention
Desperate not to lose the relationship of the Soviet Union, Castro urges Krushchev to take the first move against the United States, willing to sacrifice Cuba in the process. In a letter addressed to Krushchev , Castro writes:
If the second variant takes place and the imperialists invade Cuba with the aim of occupying it, the dangers of their aggressive policy are so great that after such an invasion the Soviet Union must never allow circumstances in which the imperialists could carry out a nuclear first strike against it...You have been, and are, a tireless defender of peace, and I understand that these moments, when the results of your superhuman efforts are so seriously threatened, must be bitter for you. We will maintain our hopes for saving the peace until the last moment, and we are ready to contribute to this in any way we can. But, at the same time, we are serene and ready to confront a situation which we see as very real and imminent."
Luckily for Cuba and the rest of the world, The United States and the Soviet Union reached an agreement on October 28, 1962. Missiles were removed from Cuba, and from Turkey.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy had declared a Naval blockade of Cuba, which did not allow very many supplies to get to the Cubans. So, after the peace agreement, Kennedy agreed to send food and medicine to Cubans in exchange for the fugitives from the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy had declared a Naval blockade of Cuba, which did not allow very many supplies to get to the Cubans. So, after the peace agreement, Kennedy agreed to send food and medicine to Cubans in exchange for the fugitives from the Bay of Pigs Invasion.