The Cuban Missile Crisis revisited

Abstract

On 14 October 1962, a US surveillance plane, the U-2, photographed mediumrange (approximately 1000 miles) missile sites under construction in Cuba. The revelation marked the beginning of a thirteen-day crisis that saw the United States deliver a public ultimatum to the Soviet Union, saw Soviet and US warships come close to tangling on the high seas and, indeed, saw the world verge on a nuclear holocaust. The British historian A.J.P. Taylor characterised the Cuban missile crisis as the two most important weeks in human history. Taylor may have overstated, but he reminded us that this was the closest we have come to extinguishing human civilisation. This crisis, which saw the Soviet Union accede to US demands, has been called President John F. Kennedy's and America's finest hour. It has also been described as a sobering experience for the president and the superpowers, leading to d6tente. But, in current historical revision, the missile crisis has also been called a reckless display of power that had some unfortunate repercussions. Almost everyone over the age of forty or so remembers the events of the thirteen days in October. This paper reviews the causes of the crisis, the conduct of the crisis and the significant results.