Cuban missile crisis: how the US played Russian roulette with nuclear war

President Kennedy is often lauded for managing the crisis.


The world stood still 50 years ago during the last week of October, from the moment when it learned that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba until the crisis was officially ended – though, unknown to the public, only officially.

www.guardian.co.uk...

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U.S. was going to start a war but no one was going to attack the U.S.

so the ruskies put nukes in cuba to provoke the us, the us tells them to stuff it, the ruskies back down, and the us is the bad guy

ok

reply to post by syrinx high priest


Dont you know? Its cool to hate America and to twist history to fit the anti-American narrative. Especially on ATS because on ATS all the worlds' evil is cause by the US.

reply to post by leosnake


That evil American Empire not letting the Russians plant nuclear weapons in Cuba. Than they have the nerve to not have a nuclear war!!! SHAME SHAME USA!!! SHAME SHAME!!!

it really is the cool thing to do to hate the USA at any angle possible.

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
so the ruskies put nukes in cuba to provoke the us, the us tells them to stuff it, the ruskies back down, and the us is the bad guy

ok

bro you are victim of russophobic propaganda;

USA put nukes in Turkey and provoked USSR to put nukes in Cuba

reply to post by leosnake


Turkey was our only ally in that region at that time and Russia was assimilating anything is could during that crazy time. The Russians were openly provoking war and anything that is contrary to the already proven facts I reject. If China put nukes in Cuba today, I would hope we would have an administration like when Kennedy was president.

kinda I do not like that there is someone with a gun I should shoot first, just in case

What the heck did I just read? May I have a refund on the time spent reading that quasi-intellectual gobbly gook? If I followed it correctly? It is as though, old Noam is claiming that the US should have played fair with the enemy, and somehow the US is solely responsible for subversion, worldwide unrest, and activities of espionage during the Cold War years? That is how I followed what was mentioned in his article. According to Mr. Chomsky, the US should somehow feel guilty because they played to win during the Cold War? Perhaps, a little dirty pool was played, but no scathing criticism of the Soviet Union like what was displayed about the US and their foreign policy during those years? A few tidbits here and there, but clearly a lot of soft stepping in regards to the Soviet Union.

I am glad that Nuclear War was averted and we can talk about it today. However, I believe Mr. Chomsky should reassess his position, because it is teeming with that usual run-of-the-mill one-sided propaganda that is paraded around as legitimate scholarship and news. It is disgusting. The way he talked about Nikita Kruschev is laughable. This is the same thug that used to pal around with Joseph Stalin, and most famously beat his shoe on the podium at the UN while unleashing a tirade of threats against the Western World. As if his goons were not around the world engaging in subversion, espionage, and terror? The KGB ring any bells, Mr. Chomsky? Perhaps, they were handing out chocolates and flowers to their enemies? The folks that would put a bullet in a person's head without even batting an eye. After finishing that, they would round up that person's family and do the same, or incarcerate them indefinitely. Oh, those Soviets. Such peaceful and compassionate people. Everything is the fault of the US. At least according to various sources in the mainstream media and academia. What a mess!

Originally posted by JDmOKI
reply to post by leosnake

 

Turkey was our only ally in that region at that time and Russia was assimilating anything is could during that crazy time. The Russians were openly provoking war and anything that is contrary to the already proven facts I reject. If China put nukes in Cuba today, I would hope we would have an administration like when Kennedy was president.

The Chinese do not have to put nukes in Cuba, they now OWN the Panama canal. Do you think that all those tens of thousands of chinese cargo containers that are all over the U.S. all contain cheap, slave labor products? How hard would it be for them to just ship over what ever they wanted and put it where ever they wanted. Who knows whats on U.S. roads right now? What did Lenin say? ( Or was it Marx) "A capitalist will sell you the very rope you'll hang him with"...

reply to post by HUMBLEONE


Yes.

My son played that game.

Originally posted by leosnake

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
so the ruskies put nukes in cuba to provoke the us, the us tells them to stuff it, the ruskies back down, and the us is the bad guy

ok

bro you are victim of russophobic propaganda;

USA put nukes in Turkey and provoked USSR to put nukes in Cuba

edit on 21-10-2012 by leosnake because: (no reason given)

forgive me for discussing the CMC. if you would like to get into a 1,000 year discussion on escalation I don't have the time for that it's NFL sunday over here

Originally posted by JDmOKI
If China put nukes in Cuba today, I would hope we would have an administration like when Kennedy was president.

I wouldn't hold my breath...

reply to post by SLAYER69


that was Photoshopped and i don't think bowing is a sign of weakness.

reply to post by syrinx high priest

ruskies put nukes in cuba to provoke the us

With comments like those how can you expect that anyone takes you seriously...

The "ruskies" secretly put nukes in Cuba. Secretly implies no provocation. Cuba needed the protection of the Soviets due to the constant harassment from the US. Cuba moved to the Soviet sphere due to US pressures.

For the Soviets having nukes so close to the US was extremely attractive. At least read a bit on Wikipedia's Cuban missile crisis

If there is any heroes and winers on this issue it was ultimately the Soviets. They even refused to give Castro nukes (he did ask for them). All the issues the US had to deal with was self inflicted by idiotic polices (even the Cuban revolution has at its core US mismanagement).

Besides asking questions. If people do not have a minimum of clue of what they are talking about why the hell do they open their mouth ?

Originally posted by JDmOKI i don't think bowing is a sign of weakness.

Are you saying bowing is a sign of respect?

Post a real world image of any world leader bowing to Obama in respect.

reply to post by Panic2k11


Oh come on are you serious? The Russians get caught red handed placing nukes in Cuba and they're the beaming light of peace? what kind of double standard lifestyle do you live? Oh and Turkey was and active member of NATO at the time the USA placed missiles. Cuba was isolated and the Russians knew that any defense of a country a few miles from the coast of the USA would be a direct act of war (noted by them secretly trying to place nukes...) How can you even attempt to defend Russia?

reply to post by SLAYER69


I hear ya but I just don't feel that bowing should be as big of a deal as it is made out to be. Its better than "if they're not with us they're against us" attitude...

reply to post by JDmOKI

they're the beaming light of peace

I did not make that inference. But on the larger picture they acted more sanely than the US, they acted to protect Cuba from an invasion an action that seems to ultimately have resulted in preserving Cuba's independence. All the US actions resided in the use of force and sabotage of Castro's movement. If one would comparatively examine each nations actions the Soviets and Cuba activities were the lesser evil and to a point the winers (Castro was not part of the negotiations to his frustration but Cuba did benefit from the process).

Oh and Turkey was and active member of NATO at the time the USA placed missiles.

I don't fallow your logic there, only that the Soviets had to respond to NATO to keep the balance, considering what we know today (that the US secret services knew before we all) it is amazing the effort that the Soviets made to keep the US in check. I'm not stating that anyone had the moral advantage (morals considerations can't be applied to nations but to their leaders), but when you compare the actions and methodologies the Soviets after WW2 were acting more in self preservation of their system than anything else. If you directly compare it to the US actions that consisted in taking control and subverting the will of nations the only direct compassions that can be made is with how the Soviets acted with their European Satellites and again mostly in self preservation. I'm not talking about political systems but in regards to geopolitical strategy...

Cuba was isolated and the Russians knew that any defense of a country a few miles from the coast of the USA would be a direct act of war

Cuba isolation was a unilateral creation of the US, to a point an abuse of power over another nation that had the clear consequence of exacerbating the problems in Cuba. Any international support for the isolation policy of the US was a direct consequence of US bullying other nations (in a very similar way to how Iran has been treated, with the same type of results). That the Soviets came to the aid of Cuba speaks volumes, consider similar reverse actions like Korea or Vietnam and observe the differences (not exactly the same but serves to show how support worked and how it worked out).

Even Cuba as insignificant as it was gave similar support to African and South American nations.

The type of support and consequences to the nations getting it, and the gains the intervener got from their involvement serves also to provide a clear view on the intrinsic values of the political systems behind the actions.

reply to post by Panic2k11


I'm not referring to the morals of both nations after WW2 since they are both lacking in that field. I am speaking of a direct infringement and a blatant act of war on Russia's part if she were to get caught. I'm not gonna sit here and defending the USA's action during the cold war since that would be far too difficult but the same should be said about Russia. It was a very difficult time and a huge power grab era.

Sanctions are better than Cuba becoming the 51 state by brute force.