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PMUNC 2015
Cuban Missile Crisis JCC: USA
Chair: Seamus Daniels
Committee Chair: Person ‘year Director:
JCC PMUNC 2015
Contents
Chair Letter…………………………………………………………………...3
U.S. Policy In The Cold War………………………………………………….4
The U.S. And Cuba……………………………………….…………………..6
Other Policy Challenges…………………...………………….………………7 External Challenges……………………………....………………….....7 Internal Challenges…………………………………………...... ……..11
Committee Members….……………………………………………………..13
2 Committee Chair: Person ‘year Director:
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Chair’s Letter
Dear Delegates,
Hello! My name is Seamus Daniels and I will be your chair for the USA section of the Cuban Missile Crisis Joint Crisis Committee. First a little about myself: I hail from Albany, the great capital of the Empire State of New York. I’m a huge fan of Manchester United Football Club and the TV show Archer. At Princeton, I am a senior in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and am pursuing a Certificate in Near Eastern Studies. On campus, I served as Secretary-General for PMUNC 2014, and am also a member of the Princeton Tower Club and the Princeton Men’s Club Soccer Team. I’m very excited to be one of the chairs for this year’s JCC on the Cuban Missile Crisis. It’s an event that we all learn about in our US History textbooks, but we often forget why the conflict still captivates the public imagination: it could have easily turned out very differently. Depending on how the Americans, Soviets, and Cubans reacted, the Cuban Missile Crisis could easily have resulted in nuclear war. Simulating this committee will allow us to consider the “what-ifs”—in other words, how history might have played out in an alternative universe. I urge you to consider these alternate possibilities, and look forward to seeing how our committee plays out at the conference!
All the best, Seamus Daniels
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JCC: USA
U.S. Policy in the Cold War permanent modus vivendi that it is
desirable and necessary that the
The date is January 20, 1961. The U.S. is internal harmony of our society be currently embroiled in the Cold War with disrupted, our traditional way of the Soviet Union, a struggle for global life be destroyed, the international influence and domination. It’s not only a authority of our state be broken, if conflict between two superpowers; it’s a Soviet power is to be secure. This battle of ideologies. Capitalism versus political force has complete power
Communism. The world is divided into of disposition over energies of one two spheres of influence, the allies of the of world's greatest peoples and
United States and the West, and the resources of world's richest satellite states of the Soviet Union. national territory, and is borne
George Kennan, the Deputy Chief of the along by deep and powerful
Mission of the United States to the currents of Russian nationalism.
U.S.S.R., outlines the struggle in the In addition, it has an elaborate and following excerpt from his 1946 “Long far flung apparatus for exertion of
Telegram”: its influence in other countries, an
apparatus of amazing flexibility
“In summary, we have here a and versatility, managed by people
political force committed whose experience and skill in
fanatically to the belief that with underground methods are
US there can be no presumably without parallel in
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history. Finally, it is seemingly problem in war, and if necessary,
inaccessible to considerations of with no smaller outlay in planning
reality in its basic reactions. For it, effort. I cannot attempt to suggest
the vast fund of objective fact all answers here. But I would like
about human society is not, as to record my conviction that
with us, the measure against which problem is within our power to
outlook is constantly being tested solve--and that without recourse
and re-formed, but a grab bag to any general military conflict..”1
from which individual items are
selected arbitrarily and The current U.S. strategy in the Cold War
tendenciously to bolster an is one of containment. In his 1947 Foreign
outlook already preconceived. Affairs article entitled “The Sources of
This is admittedly not a pleasant Soviet Conflict,” Kennan wrote “the main
picture. Problem of how to cope element of any United States policy
with this force in [is] undoubtedly toward the Soviet Union must be that of a
greatest task our diplomacy has long-term, patient but firm and vigilant
ever faced and probably greatest it containment of Russian expansive
will ever have to face. It should be tendencies.”2 To that end, the U.S. needs
point of departure from which our to stand firm and counter any potential
political general staff work at expansion to the Soviet sphere of
present juncture should proceed. influence.
It should be approached with
same thoroughness and care as 1 solution of major strategic http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/coldwar/documents/ep2 https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian- federation/1947-07-01/sources-soviet-conduct
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The U.S. and Cuba new government on May 7, 1960 and
appeared to be pushing the Caribbean
On January 1, 1959, the Cuban nation into its sphere of influence.4
Revolution forced President Fulgencio
Batista and his U.S.-backed regime from These fears were confirmed on December power. Batista controlled an authoritarian 19, 1960 when Cuba and the U.S.S.R. state, seizing power in a coup in 1952. The aligned itself with the Soviet state
U.S. had a long relationship with Cuba following the establishment of trade since the Spanish-American War in 1898. relations and the distribution of economic
Cuba became independent in 1902, credit.5 though the U.S. reserved the right to intervene in its internal affairs. By 1958, Following the nationalization of all however, the U.S. ceased providing American property in Cuba in 1960,6 the military aid to the Batista regime.3 U.S. to end diplomatic relations with Cuba
and to close its embassy in Havana on
Following Batista’s ousting, government January 3, 1961.7 control was taken over by the leader of the rebel forces, Fidel Castro. At this ExComm must determine U.S. policy on point, it is unclear as to the status of the Cuba. A nation so closely aligned with the
Cuban government under Castro; it has 4 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/ti not declared itself as communist as of yet. meline/ 5 Ibid. 6 The U.S.S.R., however, recognized the http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1203355.st m 7 3 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/ti http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1203355.st meline/ m
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Soviet Union just below the Southern Other Policy Challenges coastline poses serious national security concerns. Cuba cannot become a base for External Challenges
Soviet arms and missiles. Such a location Germany would place major American cities Though the Allies agreed in principle to including the capital in range. an eventual unified German state after the
Additionally, Cuba cannot become a hub end of World War II, in 1949 the Soviet for further communist expansion in Union declared that the zone of Germany
Central and Latin America. Cuba poses it was occupying would be a fully enough of a threat on American national independent "German Democratic security for the entire region to be Republic" (GDR, or German Deutsche exposed to Soviet influence. Demokratische Republik DDR). In response,
the United States, the UK, and France
This committee must decided the next merged their three zones and declared the steps to take in addressing the threat of Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or
Cuba. Should our government adopt a German Bundesrepublik Deutschland hardline that threatens escalating the BRD). Colloquially, these Germanys are conflict? known as East and West Germany,
respectively.
At any moment there are roughly 50,000
soldiers on either side of the Inner
German border, including troops from
both Germanys and from their state
7 JCC PMUNC 2015 sponsors. For the first decade or so of Germans. At the end of World War II, the
East and West German history, the USSR Soviets also stripped East Germany of any had held the advantage in numbers of capital (e.g. machinery) and wealth they conventional troops and ground forces could find; this impeded East German along this border and along other borders economic growth. in Europe. The only thing that has kept them at bay has been the threat of nuclear As a result of this huge disparity, East retaliation. Unclassified estimations Germany is particularly vulnerable to indicate that the United States may have Western propaganda. The United States several hundred nuclear weapons has been broadcasting Radio Free Europe stationed in West Germany, deliverable and Radio Liberty into East Germany either by bomber or by missile. These from the West German border and from weapons remain under American lock and West Berlin (see below), as well as from key; the Germans themselves have no say some ships. in their use.
Ultimately, the US and allies' goal is a fully
Quality of life in West Germany remains sovereign unified German state. somewhat below US quality, since Unfortunately, we don't expect the Soviets
Germany suffered more during the to agree to this anytime soon. In the
Second World War, but quality of life in meantime, we aim to maintain the current
East Germany is far lower. The Soviets status quo, while minimizing the risk of and their proxy German Communist Party direct conflict between the two major seem incapable of administering the Cold War powers. territory as efficiently as the West
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route for this is from East Berlin to West
Berlin. The Soviets are not impressed by
Berlin this. Berlin remains the largest hole in
Currently, Berlin is divided into four their Iron Curtain. There is still time for sections, each occupied by one of the diplomacy, but Berlin remains a potential major European powers: the UK, the flashpoint that could make this Cold War
USA, the USSR, and France. The Soviets hot. have used the Berliners (located deep in
East Germany) as hostages before. The Turkey
USSR cut off all traffic, including food The Turkish Republic has been a member and fuel, from West Germany into West of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Berlin in the spring of 1948. In response, (NATO) since 1955, when it joined the US and allies airlifted supplies into simultaneously with Greece. Turkey is also
West Berlin for more than a year until the the home of NATO's İncirlik air force
Soviets gave up the blockade, a major base, a major factor in US power propaganda victory for the US. projection into the region. Since 1955,
Turkey has also been a founding member
According to West German law, all of the Central Treaty Organization
Germans (East and West) are entitled to (CENTO), a less functional mutual full citizenship rights in West Germany. defense alliance between the UK, Turkey,
These rights and the economic disparity Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. Turkey are a huge incentive to East Germans to contributed forces to the UN (US) flee to the West; large numbers have been mission in Korea during the Korean War. doing so over the last decade. The easiest
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Geostrategically, Turkey's position is probably the single most critical of any Tensions also occasionally flare between
NATO ally. US intelligence forces are Greece and Turkey, two countries that openly able to watch Soviet and Soviet- have been rivals more than friends for aligned war ships move from the Black more than a century. Both are NATO
Sea into the Mediterranean via the members today, but fighting within the
Bosphorus and Dardanelles, straits Turkey NATO bloc could tear the entire alliance controls. News stories have asserted that structure apart. The US cannot really
NATO is even tracking Soviet nuclear afford to lose either member. submarines as they attempt to travel covertly through the straits. Turkey is also Turkey is nominally a democracy, but for one of only two NATO members that the first two decades of its history it was a share a direct land border with the USSR one-party state. From 1946 until 1960,
(the other being Norway), in the Caucasus there were free multi-party elections with with the Armenian SSR and the a peaceful transfer of power between
Azerbaijan SSR. opposing parties, until in May 1960
General Cemal Gürsel lead a coup against
As of 1959, the US placed Jupiter-class the democratically elected President and missiles with nuclear warheads on Turkish Prime Minister. Turkey currently remains soil. These weapons remain in the custody under authoritarian military rule. Aside of the United States. The weapons were from its oscillation between democracy placed in order to assuage Turkish fear of and military rule, the Turkish government conventional or unconventional Soviet remains staunchly secular and Capitalist. attack on their land.
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mice, monkeys, and apes, but their
Internal Challenges survival rate is far from acceptable for
human cargo.
Space Race
The USSR launched Sputnik 1 (Спутник- The so-called “Space Race” is a
1) into orbit around our planet on propaganda battle between the West and
October 4, 1957. In response, we the East in the context of the greater Cold attempted to launch our own satellite, War. It is a challenge to see which side can
Vanguard, in December of that year. better pursue technological advancement
Vanguard failed to launch and and explore the universe. It is also a not- experienced a catastrophic failure so-subtle way for each side to make veiled
(explosion) on the launchpad, threats: the same technology that put embarrassing our country worldwide. At Sputnik 1 and Explorer 1 into space could the end of January, 1958, we successfully just as easily be used to launch a nuclear launched Explorer 1, the first American weapon at the enemy, even across the satellite. planet. The Space Race is producing
technology with military use, most
The Soviets have continued their rocket obviously in the form of missiles but also testing, recently having sent dogs in in other ways. capsules into space. The dogs have not survived reentry. Our own space program, The Space Race is also extremely administered by the newly organized expensive. Critics of the space program
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space are fairly rare because of the immense
Administration) has focused more on propaganda value of the launches, but
11 JCC PMUNC 2015 most criticism centers around claims that the money spent on NASA could fund Risk of Communist Infiltration more effective propaganda. Though former Senator Joseph McCarthy
ended up making a fool of himself on
Finally, there is the question of the national television in his zeal, he wasn’t militarization of space. Right now we are entirely wrong. We believe that there are not capable of putting serious weapons Communists and sympathizers at various into Earth’s orbit, but policymakers have levels of the federal government, and of quietly proposed such radical ideas as a course in state and local governments.
US military base on the surface of the Senator McCarthy was on the right track
Moon. These proposals are far off, but when he investigated, in particular, the our advisors say that using satellites to State Department, though hist specifics gather intelligence on the enemy is a were lacking. It is unclear whether these possibility within this (or at least by the radicals are homegrown and unaffiliated end of the next) Presidential term. with the Soviet Union, or whether they
are taking orders from the Politburo itself.
Currently Soviet space technology is We must be wary about whose advice to superior to ours. Right now, if we are trust. Our very inner circles may be capable of developing any sort of space breached. weapon, you can be sure that the Soviets have already made a prototype. Thus, we Aside from infiltration into government, must prepare for the future of warfare not we believe that the Reds and their just to defeat the enemy, but also in order sympathizers are filling the media with to ensure our own survival. unpatriotic propaganda, and doing the
12 JCC PMUNC 2015 work of the enemy. Hollywood is known Members of the Executive Committee to be full of Reds. America’s free media is of the National Security Council at once our strength and our weakness: it’s (ExComm) public knowledge that the media is ExComm was a council of U.S. officials independent from the state, but this convened by President Kennedy to means it is vulnerable to unpatriotic address the threat posed by the Cuban infiltration. Missile Crisis. The Committee consisted
of members of the National Security
Further, after having surveilled major Council as well as individuals consulted by labor unions, we believe that many of JFK. For the sake of the committee, some them are also compromised by historical members of ExComm have
Communists. They have been organizing been excluded while other actors not among the poor in the South, as well as in originally in the council have been the major unions. The FBI recommends included. further surveillance and possible direct action against these domestic enemies Robert Francis Kennedy, Attorney General- before they more seriously harm our Committee Director country. “The President’s younger brother
and most trusted adviser believed
doing nothing about the Soviet
missiles in Cuba was
“unthinkable”, while a surprise air
strike, in light of the memory of
Pearl Harbor, was against
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America’s traditions and would Prior to joining the Kennedy
“blacken the name of the United Administration, LBJ served as the
States in the pages of history”. He Senator from Texas from 1949-
therefore favored the blockade as 1961 and Senate Majority Leader
an action that would “make from 1955-1961. After losing the
known unmistakably the Democratic nomination in the
seriousness of U.S. determination 1960 presidential election, he was
to get the missiles out of Cuba” chosen to be the running partner
while leaving the Soviets “some of JFK. During the crisis, he
room for maneuver to pull back”. “sided with those in favor of a
At the height of the crisis, Robert strike and advised the president
Kennedy met with Soviet unsuccessfully against conferring
ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin with congressmen and U.S. allies
and made explicit the threat of an on ways to resolve the crisis, as
imminent U.S. attack, while also Johnson believed they would
delivering the President’s secret provide little help.”9 Johnson
promise to withdraw U.S. Jupiter would assume the Presidency
missiles from Turkey in four to following JFK’s assassination in
five months. He later wrote an 1963.
acclaimed account of the crisis,
Thirteen Days.”8
Lyndon B. Johnson, Vice President Dean Rusk, Secretary of State
8 9 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/ ramatis-personae/excomm/
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David Dean Rusk was originally toward the successful negotiation
JFK’s second choice for the of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban
position of Secretary of State after Treaty in August 1963.”10 Rusk
J. William Fulbright, but was would go on to serve as Secretary
nevertheless nominated and of State until 1969, tied for the
approved in 1961. “Rusk asserted second-longest serving Secretary
that the Secretary of State served of State.
at the pleasure of the President.
As such, the Secretary’s role Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense
reflected that of an advisor who JFK offered the position of
would preside over policy debates, Secretary of Defense to Robert
offer informed views, and endorse McNamara on the
the President’s decisions. recommendation of former
Secretary of State and Secretary of
Rusk also advocated a “dignified Defense Robert A. Lovett.
diplomacy,” emphasizing civility
and communication between the “During the Cuban Missile Crisis,
United States and the Soviet McNamara viewed the Soviet
Union. Rusk’s diplomatic deployment as a political issue, not
orientation and his ability to one affecting the overall nuclear
evaluate and judge competing balance. He first raised for
points of view defused tensions consideration the option of a
during the October 1962 Cuban 10 Missile Crisis and contributed https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/peopl e/rusk-david-dean
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blockade on October 16. A after falling into conflict with the
persuasive advocate for the Administration over its doctrine
blockade, McNamara believed it of massive retaliation. Taylor
was important to keep all options preferred a military policy based
on the table and leave the door on a “flexible response” to the
open to negotiations, rather than doctrine espoused by Eisenhower.
issue an ultimatum that the U.S. 12
would order an air attack on Cuba
if the missiles were not removed. JFK persuaded Taylor to return to
He feared that any sudden military active service and named him
move could provoke a response Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in
from the Soviets that could trigger 1962.13 During the Cuban Missile
a nuclear war.”11 Crisis, “Taylor joined with other
hardliners in advocating a surprise
General Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the military air strike. However, he
Joint Chiefs of Staff had his doubts about getting “our
A veteran of World War II and feet in that deep mud of Cuba”
the Korean War, Taylor served as and believed a costly invasion
Army Chief of Staff under the should be a last resort.”14
Eisenhower Administration. He
would resign and retire from 12 active service, however, in 1959 http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/21/obituaries /maxwell-d-taylor-soldier-and-envoy- dies.html?pagewanted=3 13 Ibid. 11 14 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/ ramatis-personae/excomm/
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John A. McCone, Director of Central Intelligence launch the missiles against the
“After the Bay of Pigs, John U.S.”15
McCone replaced Allen Dulles as
CIA Director. McCone foresaw Llewellyn E. Thompson, Jr., Ambassador at
the Soviet deployment of missiles Large for Soviet Affairs
in Cuba and ordered the U-2 “Former U.S. ambassador to
flights on October 14 that Moscow, with extensive
discovered them. He took a hard knowledge of the Soviet Union, its
line during the crisis. However, he language, history and culture,
thought a surprise attack on Cuba Thompson was described by Dean
would force the U.S. to live with a Rusk as “our in-house Russian
“Pearl Harbor indictment”. during the missile crisis”. He
Therefore, he argued that before supported the blockade and urged
an air strike, Castro and the President to accompany it with
Khrushchev should be given a demand that Khrushchev
warning and 24 hours to begin dismantle the weapons in Cuba.
dismantling and removing the Thompson believed that in the
missiles. McCone believed a end the blockade-ultimatum
blockade would not be sufficient approach would probably still lead
to resolve the crisis, as it would to a strike. However, “we do it in
allow a long drawn-out period an entirely different posture and
during which the Cubans could background and much less danger
15 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/
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of getting up into the big war.” important thing for Khrushchev,
Thompson also influenced the it seems to me, is to be able to say
President’s decision to respond to ‘I saved Cuba; I stopped an
Khrushchev’s first, private, more invasion.’ And he can get away
conciliatory letter of October 26, with this, if he wants to, and he’s
ignoring the second, public, more had a go at this Turkey thing, and
aggressive statement, which raised that we’ll discuss later.””16
the issue of a Turkey-Cuba trade.
Thompson argued strongly against McGeorge Bundy, National Security Advisor
accepting such a bargain, which he “In 1953, at the age of 34, Bundy
believed would involve trading not became the youngest ever dean of
just missiles for missiles, but Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and
everything from planes to Sciences, before serving as
technicians, leading to the National Security Adviser from
effective abandonment of the U.S. 1961 to 1966. During the Cuban
base in Turkey. He suggested that Missile Crisis Bundy encouraged
the first letter Khrushchev had the President to consider all
written himself and sent out possible courses of action and
without clearance, while the sometimes played devil’s advocate
second, public statement was or changed his mind. For example,
likely dictated by Politburo Bundy made the case for doing
hardliners. Thompson argued that nothing about the Soviet missiles
Khrushchev needed something he 16 could use to save face: “The http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/
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in Cuba. On October 18 he the missiles, and threaten further
argued that “we would be better military action. Dillon argued that
off to merely take note of the the President had to show his firm
existence of these missiles, and to intentions to the Russians and not
wait until the crunch comes in look as if he were backing down.
Berlin”. The next day he changed He first suggested the idea of
his mind and favored decisive using the blockade as a way to
action – a surprise air strike, as the present the Soviets with an
blockade would not be enough to ultimatum to remove the missiles
remove the missiles from Cuba.”17 or face military action.”18
C. Douglas Dillon, Secretary of Treasury Theodore Sorensen, Special Counsel
Although a member of the “The President’s chief
Republican party, JFK selected C. speechwriter and close confidant,
Douglas Dillon as Secretary of the Sorensen advocated a naval
Treasury in 1961. “Dillon took a blockade as the best first response
hard line during the Cuban Missile to the Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Crisis. Initially he favored a Along with McNamara, he
military strike but later, along with believed the blockade could only
Thompson, Dillon proposed to freeze the status quo and open the
begin with the blockade, refuse door to negotiations. While it
negotiations, demand removal of would put a halt to further
17 18 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/ ramatis-personae/excomm/
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shipments of missiles, the Force.21 “During the missile crisis,
blockade would not force the Gilpatric opposed the military
Soviets to remove the missiles strike option and supported the
already in place in Cuba. Sorensen blockade. In a crucial meeting on
carefully drafted Kennedy’s October 20, as President Kennedy
speech to the nation announcing weighed the two options, Gilpatric
the blockade and letters to summed up the arguments:
Khrushchev, knowing that “Essentially, Mr. President, this is
“anything that angered or soured a choice between limited action
Khrushchev could result in the and unlimited action, and most of
end of America, maybe the end of us think that it’s better to start
the world.””19 with limited action.””22
Roswell Gilpatric, Deputy Secretary of Defense Edwin M. Martin, Assistant Secretary of State
“A graduate of Yale, with a for Inter-American Affairs
background in law,”20 Gilpatric Edwin Martin served as Assistant
served as Deputy Secretary of Secretary of State for Inter-
Defense from 1961 to 1964 after American Affairs from 1962-1964.
serving as Assistant Secretary and “An expert on economics, he was
Under Secretary of the Air appointed to the inter-American
21 19 http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/us/roswel http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d l-l-gilpatric-lawyer-and-kennedy-aide-dies-at- ramatis-personae/excomm/ 89.html 20 22 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/ ramatis-personae/excomm/
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affairs post in March 1962. In more serious than Castro.''”23
choosing him, the Kennedy “During the missile crisis, he
administration was seen as moving favored the blockade option and
to reinforce the Alliance for helped to brief members of the
Progress, a United States aid Organization of American States
program for Latin America. But (OAS) to obtain their backing for
by late April 1962, the indications it.”24
were that he had become the
closest thing to an overall ''boss'' Paul Nitze, Assistant Secretary of Defense
of Latin American policy that the “Paul Nitze had famously drafted
Kennedy administration had had. National Security Council memo
NSC-68 in 1950, which helped
Before the missile crisis began, he shape U.S. policy during the Cold
coordinated American endeavors War, by calling for a substantial
to cut Cuba off from other increase in military spending and
Western Hemisphere “a rapid build-up of the political,
governments. In addition, he said economic, and military strength in
in an interview in August 1962: the free world” to contain the
''We want to get rid of Castro and Soviet threat. As Assistant
the Soviet Communist influence in Secretary of Defense during the
Cuba -- not just Castro. I think the
Soviet Communist influence is 23 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/17/world/ed win-martin-93-a-voice-in-60-s-latin-america- policy.html 24 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/
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Cuban Missile Crisis, Nitze was involvement in the Vietnam
among the hawkish members of War.”26
ExComm, urging an immediate
military strike, as he believed the General Curtis LeMay, Chief of Staff of the
Soviet missiles in Cuba United States Air Force
dramatically altered the strategic “With a distinguished military
nuclear balance.”25 career, Curtis LeMay had
commanded the 305th Bomb
George Ball, Under Secretary of State Group during WWII, pioneered
“Under Secretary of State from many bomber flying formations,
1961 to 1966, George Ball was overseen the Berlin Airlift, and
active at the State Department in headed the Strategic Air
implementing the U.S. trade Command, before becoming Air
embargo against Cuba. During the Force Chief of Staff in 1961.
Cuban crisis he opposed the idea During the Cuban crisis, General
of a surprise air strike, like many LeMay emerged as a strong
others offering the analogy to opponent of the blockade option.
Pearl Harbor, and favored instead He believed there was no choice
the blockade option, which would but immediate direct military
give time to the Soviets to reflect action, and warned that the first
and consider backing down. Ball thing the Soviets would do after
later advised against U.S. the announcement of the blockade
25 26 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/excomm/ ramatis-personae/excomm/
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would be to hide the missiles. He diplomatic approach, instead of an
thought the blockade would air strike. Stevenson’s “finest
ultimately lead to war, and warned hour” was the October 25 debate
the President, “We’re just going to at the United Nations, during
gradually drift into war under which he confronted Soviet UN
conditions that are at great representative Valerian Zorin with
disadvantage to us…This is almost photographic evidence and
as bad as the appeasement at aggressively demanded that he
Munich.””27 admit the Soviet deployment of
missiles in Cuba.”28
Adlai Stevenson II, U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations Admiral George Whelan Anderson, Jr., Chief of
“Adlai Stevenson was Governor Naval Operations
of Illinois, a Democratic Party A navigator on the USS Yorktown
presidential candidate in 1952 and in the Pacific during the Second
1956, and served as Ambassador World War, George W. Anderson
to the United Nations from 1961 was Chief of Naval Operations at
to 1965. During the Cuban Missile the time of the Cuban Missile
Crisis, Stevenson came to Crisis. As such, he was responsible
Washington and joined a few of for the U.S. blockade of Cuba
the White House sessions. He during the crisis. “President
urged moderation and a Kennedy was quoted as telling Mr.
27 28 http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/d ramatis-personae/us-players/ ramatis-personae/us-players/
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Anderson, "Well, Admiral it looks
as though this is up to the Navy,"
to which he replied, "Mr.
President, the Navy will not let
you down." Time magazine
featured him on its cover, calling
him "an aggressive blue-water
sailor of unfaltering competence
and uncommon flare."”29 A feud
with Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara led to his replacement
as CNO in 1963, but he would be
appointed as the Ambassador to
Portugal by JFK shortly after.30
29 http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/22/us/adm- george-w-anderson-85-was-in-charge-of-cuba- blockade.html 30 Ibid.
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25