Before the Cuban Missile Crisis

Who Has the Biggest Gun?

Aug 3, 2006

The United States installs missiles on Turkey. Nikita Khrushchev considers a personal affront to himself and his country.

Following the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba the United States, in 1961, began placing 15 Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) near Izmir, Turkey. Although President John F. Kennedy regarded these missiles as having "questionable strategic value" Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev publicly made his anger at this situation known. He considered the placing of these missiles a personal affront to himself and his country, or so he publicized.

Nuclear Submarines a Stronger Choice

In truth, these missiles could be considered a direct threat to cities in the western sections of the Soviet Union. But also in truth, an American nuclear submarine was also well capable of performing the same function only with greater stealth and superior firepower. The final truth of the situation, at the time, was that the United States far outgunned the Soviet Union.

Soviets Plan Revenge

The outcome of this unbalanced situation was that Soviet strategists believed that a portion of this nuclear inequality could be rectified by placing missiles on Cuba. These Soviet missiles, MRBMs, once placed on Cuban soil, with a range of 1,200 miles, would be a definite direct threat to Washington, D. C. They would also put in jeopardy nearly half of the United States SAC bases, housing nuclear-armed bombers. The Cuba-based missiles registered a flight time of less than twenty minutes. Also included in this strategy was the consideration that the United State's radar warning systems that were directed towards the USSR would render very little warning of an attack launched from Cuba.

By direction of Nikita Khrushchev, a plan to place missiles on Cuba was devised in May of 1962. This was the first time that Soviet missiles were moved outside of the USSR. This action was later determined to be Khrushchev's direct responsive action against the placing of missiles in Turkey by the United States.

Late in July some sixty Soviet ships were on their way to Cuba. Many of them were carrying military material.

Before the Cuban Missile Crisis: Who Has the Biggest Gun?, continues with: The United States and Cuba .

The copyright of the article Before the Cuban Missile Crisis in American History is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish Before the Cuban Missile Crisis in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.