KHRUSHCHEV, CASTRO AND KENNEDY: MOTIVATION, INTENTION, AND THE CREATION OF A CRISIS by Robin R. Pickering A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts American History May 2006 KHRUSHCHEV, CASTRO, AND KENNEDY: MOTIVATION, INTENTION, AND THE CREATION OF A CRISIS by Robin R. Pickering Approved by the Master’s Thesis Committee: Delores N. McBroome, Major Professor Date Gayle Olson-Raymer, Committee Member Date ________________________________________________________________________ Rodney Sievers, Committee Member Date Delores N. McBroome, Graduate Coordinator, Date MASS – Teaching American History Cohort Donna E. Schafer, Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Date ABSTRACT The Cuban Missile Crisis is thought by many to have been the most dangerous moment in the Cold War and perhaps, in human history. Historians’ ‘understanding’ of this event has undergone dramatic evolution. Continued study of this event remains valid as long as international conflict remains a reality; historians, political scientists, and policymakers investigate this event in an attempt to understand and alleviate future foreign policy and conflict. Recently declassified documents and recordings and the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States have made more information available regarding the nature of the crisis, its creation, and resolution. It is evident, however, that a greater volume of information pertaining to the crisis has not led to consensus, or a greater understanding of the causes and consequences of the event. Most historians do agree that Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro, and John Kennedy each played a pivotal role in the crisis and its resolution. This project draws on a variety of sources regarding the crisis and its administrators in an attempt to create an historiography of the available information regarding this important event. It begins with a discussion about the available information on the Cuban Missile Crisis and a history of the pre-crisis Cuban-American relationship. I have investigated this crisis from the perspective that the character, actions and policies of Khrushchev, Castro, and Kennedy were inexorable in instigating and resolving the crisis. I hope that this project will provide educators and students of iii history with a greater understanding of the opposing views regarding the motivations and actions that resulted in the Cuban Missile Crisis and its outcome. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the support and guidance of my family, friends, colleagues, and professors.. Professors Rod Sievers, Delores McBroome, and Gayle Olson-Raymer have provided me and numerous other Humboldt County educators with their outstanding historical knowledge and professional support. Your efforts in the Teaching American History Program have greatly benefited Humboldt County teachers and our students. Thank you for your undying commitment to outstanding education. My students and colleagues at Fortuna High School have provided me with the inspiration and collegial support necessary to a fulfilling career. Mike Benbow, your guidance and advice throughout this project and in the classroom are invaluable. My mother and father, Joyce and Scott Pickering, have always provided the means and encouragement necessary to continue my higher education. You are truly the most giving and selfless people I know. My sister and friend, Laura Pickering, consistently provides encouragement and I hope that I can be equally supportive as she continues her education and begins to develop a new career. My best friend and partner Christopher Haynes has provided invaluable emotional and academic support. I am truly grateful for your help in this project and all projects before and after. This project is dedicated to my grandmother, Carolyn Pickering, whose love for history and endless support have been a consistent source of inspiration and encouragement. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................V TABLE OF CONTENTS......................................................................................VI KHRUSHCHEV, CASTRO, AND KENNEDY: MOTIVATION, INTENTION, AND THE CREATION OF A CRISIS ............................................................................ 1 Background: Cuban-American Relations...................................................................................................7 Operation Mongoose...................................................................................................................................29 Diplomatic and Economic Isolation...........................................................................................................31 The Crisis .....................................................................................................................................................33 Khrushchev, Castro and Kennedy: The Triangulation of a Crisis ........................................................37 Nikita S. Khrushchev ..................................................................................................................................38 Fidel Castro..................................................................................................................................................49 John F. Kennedy..........................................................................................................................................60 Consequences and Legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis............................................................................73 CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS LESSON PLAN........................................................ 78 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................78 Prior Content Knowledge and Skills .........................................................................................................79 Discussion of Content Hook........................................................................................................................79 Lesson Content ............................................................................................................................................80 Evaluation ....................................................................................................................................................83 Standards Alignment ..................................................................................................................................83 APPENDIX A CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS CHRONOLOGY ................................ 85 vi APPENDIX B JOHN F. KENNEDY INAUGURAL ADDRESS ......................... 105 APPENDIX C NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV – FIDEL CASTRO CORRESPONDENCE ......................................................................................................................... 109 APPENDIX D NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV – JOHN KENNEDY CORRESPONDENCE...................................................................................... 121 APPENDIX E BBC NEWS ARTICLE............................................................... 142 APPENDIX F CREATING A POLITICAL CARTOON ASSIGNMENT ............. 144 APPENDIX G CUBAN-AMERICAN RELATIONS LECTURE OUTLINE......... 146 ENDNOTES...................................................................................................... 148 vii KHRUSHCHEV, CASTRO, AND KENNEDY: MOTIVATION, INTENTION, AND THE CREATION OF A CRISIS The Cuban missile crisis is one of the most explored topics in American history. More than four decades from the date of this nuclear showdown, the Cuban missile crisis continues to be a source of much controversy and opposing historical interpretation. The declassification of many relevant documents and recordings regarding the crisis, meetings between ‘key figures’ of the three nations and administrations involved, and the Soviet policy of glasnost has provided further information for interpretation and discussion. Rather than providing a more unified and concrete understanding and interpretation of the crisis, this additional information has, in fact, increased the debate surrounding this event, its causes, and aftermath. The added documentary and audio information has enriched the discussion of one of the most pivotal moments of the Cold War. Rather than fading into history, the past forty years have in fact, made available many new sources of information regarding the missile crisis of October, 1962 that have encouraged new scholarship and brought us perhaps closer to understanding the whole event, its causes, consequences, and significance. The distance from this event and the end of the Cold War have freed many key figures to speak more frankly about the event and their role in it. Between the years 1987 and 2002, American, Cuban, and Soviet scholars and participants of the crisis met in Hawk’s Cay in the Florida Keys, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moscow, Antigua, and Havana to participate in discussion about the confrontation in 1962 and how to avoid similar crises in the future. The 1 2 participants in these discussions varied between the different meetings, but notable attendees include Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk, Secretaries of Defense and State within