CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred during John F. Kennedy’s presidency. In October 1962 a United States spy plane captured evidence that the Soviet Union was moving nuclear missiles into Cuba. Located just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba had allied with the Soviet Union after Fidel Castro took control of its government. After the end of World War II, the United States sought to prevent the spread of Soviet communism in the decades-long Cold War through diplomacy, strategic alliances, economic aid, espionage, and military arms buildup, including nuclear weapons.
On October 22, after several days of secret planning with trusted advisors, President Kennedy announced to the world that Soviet nuclear missiles were being transported to Cuba and that the United States would implement a naval blockade to prevent further shipments. While the blockade succeeded in stopping additional nuclear weapons from entering Cuba, nuclear experts there were already working to make them fully operational. President Kennedy seemed to be facing two options: attack, or accept the presence of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. Kennedy instead proposed a policy that the U.S would not invade Cuba if the Soviet Union removed the nuclear missiles. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed, in part because the U.S. agreed secretly to remove its missiles from neighboring Turkey within six months of the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. Scholars consider this incident to be the closest that the United States and the Soviet Union came to a full-scale nuclear war. It illustrates just how easily tensions in the Cold War could erupt into crises during this period.
The Central Intelligence Agency declassified many documents related to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1992. This map, used in secret meetings to determine the U.S. response, shows the range of the missiles installed in Cuba. It was part of the CIA's first memorandum about the missile sites in Cuba.
Citation: Excerpts from Document 46, "CIA Memorandum, Probably Soviet MRBM Sites in Cuba, 16 October 1962," in Central Intelligence Agency, CIA documents on the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962, editor, Mary S. McAuliffe, [1992], Federal Documents Microfiche, PREX 3.2:M 69, Library of Virginia.
This collection of declassified documents is available online at the Center for the Study of Intelligence.
Standards
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Scan it: Scan the document. What words and phrases stand out to you? List the words and phrases.
Post Activities
STEM STAT: The map provides a visual depiction of the reasons why nuclear missiles in Cuba could have had dangerous consequences. Using the map, list 3 or 4 possible reasons why the Soviet Union would choose to place nuclear arms in Cuba and why the United States needed to ensure that they be permanently removed.
Current Connections: How can studying the Cuban Missile Crisis help policy makers today? Consider policies regarding Iran, North Korea, and China.