Caribbean crisis. The denouement of dramatic events on the threshold of World War III KXan 36 Daily News

25.09.2019

Cuban Missile Crisis- a well-known historical term that defines the acute relations between superstates in October 1962.

Answering the question, what is Caribbean crisis, it is impossible not to mention that it affected several areas of confrontation between the two geopolitical blocs at once. Thus, he touched upon the military, political and diplomatic spheres of confrontation within the framework of the Cold War.

cold war– global economic, political, ideological, military, scientific and technical confrontation between the USA and the USSR in the second half of the twentieth century.

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Causes of the crisis

Causes of the Caribbean Crisis consist in the deployment by US military personnel of nuclear ballistic missiles in Turkey in 1961. The new Jupiter launch vehicles were capable of delivering a nuclear charge to Moscow and other major cities of the Union in a matter of minutes, because of which the USSR would not have a chance to respond to the threat.

Khrushchev had to react to such a gesture and, having agreed with the government of Cuba, stationed Soviet missiles in Cuba. Thus, being in close proximity to the east coast of the United States, missiles in Cuba were able to destroy key US cities faster than nuclear warheads launched from Turkey.

Interesting! The deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba caused panic among the US population, and the government regarded such actions as a direct act of aggression.

Considering Causes of the Caribbean Crisis, one cannot but mention the attempts of the USA and the USSR to establish control over Cuba. The parties tried to expand their influence in the third world countries, this process was called the cold war.

Caribbean Crisis - Deployment of Nuclear Ballistic Missiles

In response to the threatening deployment of weapons in Turkey Khrushchev convenes a conference in May 1962. He talks possible options problem solving. Fidel Castro, after the revolution in Cuba, repeatedly asked the USSR for help, so that he strengthened his military presence. Khrushchev decided to take advantage of the offer and decided to send not only people, but also nuclear warheads. Having received consent from Castro, the Soviet side began to plan a secret transfer of nuclear weapons.

Operation Anadyr

Attention! The term "Anadyr" means a secret operation Soviet troops, which consisted in the covert delivery of nuclear weapons to the island of Cuba.

In September 1962, the first nuclear missiles were delivered to Cuba on civilian ships. Courts were covered diesel submarines. On September 25, the operation was completed. In addition to nuclear weapons, the USSR transferred about 50,000 soldiers and military equipment to Cuba. US intelligence could not fail to notice such a move, but it did not yet suspect the transfer of secret weapons.

Washington's reaction

In September, American reconnaissance aircraft spotted Soviet fighters in Cuba. This could not go unnoticed, and during another flight on October 14, the U-2 aircraft takes pictures of the location of Soviet ballistic missiles. With the assistance of a defector, US intelligence was able to determine that the image contained launch vehicles for nuclear warheads.

October 16 about photos, which confirm the deployment of Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba, report personally to President Kennedy. Having convened an emergency council, the president considered three ways to solve the problem:

naval blockade of the island;
pinpoint missile attack on Cuba;
full-scale military operation.

The President's military advisers, having learned about the deployment of Soviet missiles in Cuba, said that it was necessary to start full-scale military operations. The president himself did not want to start a war, and therefore on October 20 he decided on a naval blockade.

Attention! A naval blockade is regarded in international relations as an act of war. Thus, the United States acts as an aggressor, and the USSR is only an injured party.

Because the United States presented its act not as military naval blockade but like quarantine. On October 22, Kennedy addressed the people of the United States. In the appeal, he said that the USSR secretly deployed nuclear missiles. Also he said, that the peaceful settlement of conflicts in Cuba is his main goal. And yet he mentioned that launching missiles from the island towards the US would be perceived as the start of a war.

The Cold War on the island of Cuba could very soon turn into a nuclear war, as the situation between the parties was extremely tense. The military blockade began on 24 October.

The Peak of the Caribbean Crisis

On October 24, the parties exchanged messages. Kennedy urged that Khrushchev not exacerbate the Cuban Missile Crisis or try to bypass the blockade. The USSR, however, stated that they perceive such demands as aggression on the part of the States.

On October 25, at the UN Security Council, the ambassadors of the conflicting parties presented their demands to each other. The American representative demanded recognition from the USSR about the deployment of missiles in Cuba. Interesting, but the representative of the Union did not know about the missiles, since Khrushchev initiated very few people into the Anadyr operation. And so the representative of the Union evaded the answer.

Interesting! The results of the day - the United States announced increased military readiness - the only time in the history of the country's existence.

After Khrushchev writes another letter - now he does not consult with the ruling elite of the USSR. In it, the general secretary compromises. He gives his word to withdraw the missiles from Cuba, returning them to the Union, but in return, Khrushchev demands that the United States not undertake acts of military aggression against Cuba.

balance of power

Speaking of the Caribbean Crisis, one cannot deny the fact that October 1962 is the time when a nuclear war could really start, and therefore it is reasonable to briefly consider the balance of forces of the parties before its hypothetical start.

The United States had much more impressive weapons and air defense systems. The Americans also had more advanced aircraft, as well as launch vehicles for nuclear warheads. Soviet nuclear missiles were less reliable and would have taken longer to prepare for launch.

The US had about 310 nuclear ballistic missiles around the world, while the USSR could only launch 75 long-range ballistic missiles. Another 700 had an average range and could not reach strategic important US cities.

Aviation of the USSR was seriously inferior to the American- their fighters and bombers, although they were more numerous, lost in quality. Most of them could not reach the shores of the United States.

The main trump card of the USSR was the advantageous strategic location of missiles in Cuba, from where they would reach the shores of America and hit important cities in a matter of minutes.

"Black Saturday" and conflict resolution

On October 27, Castro writes a letter to Khrushchev, in which he claims that the Americans will begin fighting in Cuba within 1-3 days. At the same time, Soviet intelligence reports on the activation of the US Air Force in the area caribbean, which confirms the words of the commandant of Cuba.

In the evening of the same day, another US reconnaissance aircraft flew over the territory of Cuba, which was shot down by Soviet air defense systems installed in Cuba, as a result of which an American pilot died.

On this day, two more US Air Force aircraft were damaged. Kennedy no longer denied the vast possibility of a declaration of war. Castro demanded a nuclear strike on the United States and was ready to sacrifice for this all of Cuba and your life.

denouement

The settlement of the situation during the Caribbean crisis began on the night of October 27th. Kennedy was willing to lift the blockade and guarantee Cuban independence in exchange for the removal of missiles from Cuba.

On October 28, Khrushchev receives Kennedy's letter. After some thought, he writes a response message in which he goes to reconcile and resolve the situation.

Consequences

The outcome of the situation, called the Cuban Missile Crisis, was of worldwide significance - nuclear war was cancelled.

Many were not satisfied with the outcome of the talks between Kennedy and Khrushchev. The ruling circles of the USA and the USSR accused their leaders of in softness towards the enemy They shouldn't have to make concessions.

After the settlement of the conflict, the leaders of the states found mutual language, which caused a thaw in relations between the parties. The Cuban Missile Crisis also showed the world that it is wise to stop using nuclear weapons.

The Caribbean Crisis is one of the key events XX century, about which the following interesting facts can be cited:

Khrushchev learned about American nuclear missiles in Turkey quite by accident during a peaceful visit to Bulgaria;
the Americans were so afraid of a nuclear war that they launched the construction of fortified bunkers, and after the Caribbean crisis, the scale of construction increased significantly;
the opposing sides had so many nuclear weapons in their arsenal that their launch would cause a nuclear apocalypse;
On October 27, on Black Saturday, a wave of suicides swept across the United States;
at the time of the Caribbean crisis, the United States in the history of its country declared the highest degree of combat readiness;
The Cuban nuclear crisis marked a turning point in the Cold War, after which détente began between the parties.

Conclusion

Answering the question: when did the Caribbean crisis occur, we can say - October 16-28, 1962. These days have become for the whole world one of the darkest in the twentieth century. The planet watched the confrontation unfold around the island of Cuba.

A few weeks after October 28, the missiles were returned to the USSR. The United States still keeps the promise given to Kennedy not to interfere in the affairs of Cuba and does not send its military contingent into Turkish territory.

Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov (in 1962 - commander of the 108th motorized rifle regiment), recalls: "Khrushchev and Malinovsky went to the Crimea for some tasks. Malinovsky says:" Right here, there are American Jupiters, and Italy is nearby - also American Jupiters. Khrushchev says: "What is their flying time?" Malinovsky: "Three to eight minutes." Khrushchev: "What if we give the Americans a hedgehog?"

The discovery took the Kennedy administration by surprise. The first reaction of the generals was to strike at Cuba. However, Kennedy opposed this. Then Cuba was blocked from the air and from the sea to prevent the delivery of nuclear warheads. However, US intelligence did not know then that they were already in Cuba, including tactical ones.

"US ships started dropping depth charges. Inside the submarine, it feels like you're in an iron box when they hit it with a hammer. The heat is below 50. And the commander of the Soviet submarine ordered a nuclear torpedo to be loaded. He shouted: there must have been a war there, be I'm damned if I don't destroy at least one of these American ships before I die. Fortunately, the first mate reassured him, "says Philip Brener, professor at the American University.

Both Khrushchev from Fidel Castro and Kennedy from the Pentagon were under pressure to strike first.

When the leaders realized that they could pull the trigger without them, they decided to stop the hostilities.

On the night of October 29, 1962, President's brother Robert Kennedy secretly met with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin. He conveyed that the United States is ready to give guarantees not to invade Cuba and remove missiles from Turkey.

There were no winners or losers in this conflict. Having managed to stop in time, Khrushchev and Kennedy prevented a nuclear war that could have become the Third World War.

Caribbean Crisis 1962- an acute political and military conflict between the USSR and the USA, which put the world on the verge of nuclear war. It was the peak cold war, after which relations between the two superpowers began to thaw. But what happened there, and what does the Caribbean have to do with it? Let's go through it step by step:

Participants in the Caribbean Crisis:

Leading roles: USSR Secretary General - N. Khrushchev and US President John F. Kennedy.

The role is secondary: the leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro.

Stages:

1. 1959 Cuba is undergoing a socialist revolution led by Fidel Castro. Relations with the United States are aggravated, as Cubans nationalize American-owned businesses. At the same time, relations are being established with the USSR, which begins to buy sugar in Cuba and sends its specialists to help build a socialist society.

2. The US has its ballistic missiles in Turkey. Thus, the entire European part of Russia and Moscow in particular were within reach. The USSR perceives this step as a threat.

3. Nikita Khrushchev in 1962 decides, in response to the US refusal to remove Turkish missiles, to place his ballistic missiles already in Cuba - in close proximity to the United States. Moreover, Fidel Castro has long asked to strengthen the Soviet presence to protect against possible US encroachments.

4. Operation "Anadyr" - August-September 1962. Actually, the deployment of Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba. Passed under the guise of sending cargo to Chukotka.

5. September 1962. American reconnaissance aircraft photographed the construction of anti-aircraft installations in Cuba. US President Kennedy and Congress discuss the US response. A military invasion of Cuba was proposed, but Kennedy opposed it. As a result, they agreed on a naval blockade (which, according to international law, is considered an act of war).

6. October 24, 1962 Beginning of the naval blockade of Cuba. At the same time there were 30 Soviet ships with nuclear warheads. The problem was that there was nothing illegal about the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Exactly the same NATO missiles installed throughout Europe and in Turkey in particular. The Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU announces increased combat readiness.

7. October 25, 1962. Increasing the combat readiness of the US armed forces to a record level in history.

8. October 26, 1962 Khrushchev writes a letter to Kennedy, where he proposes to dismantle the missiles on the condition of security guarantees for the regime in Cuba.

9. October 27, 1962 Black Saturday Contemporaries called it "the day when the calendar could end." An American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba. On the same day, a Soviet B-59 submarine collided with the US Navy. The submarine under the command of Captain Savitsky and his assistant Arkhipov left for Cuba on October 1, had no connection with Moscow, and the crew did not know about the political situation. The Americans did not know that there were nuclear missiles on the submarine and began bombarding the submarine, forcing them to surface. The crew of the submarine and the commander decided that the war had already begun and began voting for a strike on American forces - "We will all die, but we will sink them." Of the officers, Vasily Arkhipov refused to strike. According to the instructions, the attack could be launched

only if all the officers agreed, so instead of a nuclear strike, the US Navy signaled to stop the provocation and the boat surfaced. If Vasily Arkhipov voted "yes", then a nuclear war would begin.

The thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis were a real shake-up for the world community. Then it seemed that little could interfere with the political ambitions of the two superpowers - the USSR and the USA: the world was one step away from nuclear war.

Prerequisites

On January 1, 1959, the revolution won in Cuba. The pro-American regime of Fulgencio Batista was replaced by the socialists, led by the young leader Fidel Castro. First of all, he tried to establish good neighborly relations with the United States, but in vain: The White house in the person of President Eisenhower, he refused to go for rapprochement. In response, Castro takes measures against the dominance of Americans in Cuba, in particular, nationalizes all American property.

Washington does not remain in debt and imposes an embargo on the export of sugar and the import of oil. And in parallel, he is preparing a punitive operation.

The invasion of the US Expeditionary Force, made up of Cuban emigrants, took place already under John F. Kennedy - in April 1961. But thanks to the successful work of Cuban intelligence, immediately after the landing in the Bay of Pigs (“Pigs”), the militant brigade was destroyed. However, the confrontation with the United States promised to be heated.

For help to Moscow

The invasion pushed Castro closer to Moscow, which readily accepted the offer to help the young socialist state. However, the key role in the decision of the Soviet leadership, perhaps, was played by the military-strategic factor - geographical position Cuba, which was located only 90 miles from the coast of the United States.

Former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara states in his memoirs that the Kennedy administration had no intention of launching a full-scale invasion of Cuba. The Soviet and Cuban leadership then proceeded from opposite considerations, and therefore in May 1962, at a meeting of the USSR Defense Council, a decision was made to deploy ballistic missiles in Cuba.

Liberty Island received a "nuclear umbrella" - a reliable cover in case of military aggression from the United States, and the USSR - an additional trump card in the confrontation with its political opponent. On October 14, 40 missiles and most of the equipment arrived in Cuba.

In addition to five ballistic missile units (three R-12s with a range of up to 2,000 km and two R-14s with a maximum range of up to 4,500 km), it was planned to send four motorized rifle regiments, two tank battalions, a MiG-21 squadron, and two cruisers to Cuba, four destroyers and eleven submarines.

Despite the operation's "top secret" status, US intelligence discovered Soviet missiles and a squadron of aircraft stationed in Cuba. This forced Kennedy to announce a naval blockade of the island.

Struggle of interests

The Soviet side for a long time stubbornly denied the presence of any weapons in Cuba, calling the deployed equipment "research equipment." However, Soviet diplomats did not know what was really happening in Cuba. When the plans of the USSR became obvious, Khrushchev tried to convince Kennedy that there were no aggressive intentions on the part of the USSR. But the head of the White House demanded that the offensive weapons be dismantled and returned to Soviet Union.

In a letter to the American president, the Soviet leader motivated the decision of the country's military leadership as follows:

“You want to protect your country, and this is understandable ... But how can we, the Soviet Union, our government evaluate your actions, which are expressed in the fact that you have surrounded us with military bases.”

At the initiative of the USSR government, a UN meeting was convened, at which a fierce polemic broke out between representatives of the USA and the USSR. Alas, the militant rhetoric on both sides did not bring the desired results.

"Black Saturday"

When launching positions for Soviet missiles were established, the American command began preparations for a possible invasion at the first signal: the 1st Panzer Division was transferred to the south of the country, the Air Force went into a state of combat readiness.

The intensity of passions reached its climax on October 27, 1962, which went down in history as "Black Saturday". During the period of the highest activity of American strategic aviation flights over Cuba, a Soviet anti-aircraft installation shot down one of the reconnaissance aircraft, the pilot died.

According to researcher Anatoly Dokuchaev: it has not yet been established who is responsible for the downed plane. The next day after the incident, a coded message came from the Minister of Defense of the USSR, consisting of two phrases: “You were in a hurry. Ways of settlement have been outlined.”

On the day of the death of the American pilot, the President of the United States decided in two days to start bombing Soviet missile bases and prepare for the invasion of Cuba.

Many Americans in a panic began to leave big cities fearing Soviet missile attacks.

At that moment, the world was closer than ever to nuclear war. General Anatoly Gribkov, who participated in the memorable operation, confirmed that the commander of the Soviet group on the island, General Issa Pliev, had full authority to use nuclear weapons in the event of a full-scale US invasion of Cuba.

But on Sunday, October 28, the Soviet leadership nevertheless decided to withdraw offensive weapons from the island.

Discharge

The degree of nervousness among American politicians during the Caribbean crisis can be evidenced by the recollection of the USSR Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Dobrynin, who, after visiting the office of the US Attorney General of the President's brother Robert Kennedy, noted the mess and a rug crumpled on the sofa, "where the owner of the cabinet slept fitfully."

The dismantling of Soviet rocket launchers took about 3 weeks. And only on November 20, having made sure that the USSR had withdrawn its missiles from the island, the American president gave the command to lift the blockade of Cuba. On December 12, the last Soviet soldier left the island.

The Caribbean crisis, which contributed to the aggravation of relations between the USSR and the USA, nevertheless, according to Western and domestic historians, played a positive role in reducing international tension, made the leaders of the leading countries think about limiting the nuclear arms race.

Georgy Bolshakov, adviser to the USSR Embassy in the United States, wrote that “the events of the October days of 1962 were the first and, fortunately, the only thermonuclear crisis, which was a“ moment of fear and insight ”when N.S. Khrushchev, John F. Kennedy, F. Castro and all of humanity felt they were in “the same boat” that found themselves in the epicenter of the nuclear abyss.”

It is important to note that both the Soviet Union and the United States recognized the need to maintain a constant dialogue, as evidenced by the installation of the "red telephone" - a direct line of communication between Moscow and Washington in case of crises.

Prerequisites

On January 1, 1959, the revolution won in Cuba. The pro-American regime of Fulgencio Batista was replaced by the socialists, led by the young leader Fidel Castro. First of all, he tried to establish good neighborly relations with the United States, but in vain: the White House, represented by President Eisenhower, refused to go for rapprochement.

In response, Castro takes measures against the dominance of Americans in Cuba, in particular, nationalizes all American property.